Condolences
As the anniversary of Robert's death approaches, I wish to thank the many friends, new and old and family members, who supported us all, so thoughtfully, through this tragedy and offer my heartfelt sympathies to all who mourn.
My son's absence has had the most profound effect apon us and the lives of so many. It would have been quite unbearable, without the kindness of those who have gone out of their way, to assist us in taking leave of him and easing our troubled minds over the passing year.
Rob Campbell had an unmatched enthusiasm for all things fun, like a small child trapped within a towering man's figure. He came to Andrew Melville Hall to be our new Assistant Warden in my first year of undergraduate studies, usually I would not have thought someone in his position would be so open to talk to, but Rob naturally broke that barrier down immediately. I remember him inviting me to join in his target practice with his new toy Nerf gun in the Lower Common Room. His lovely fiance Shannon was laughing hysterically at the scene - and joined in too of course! His uncanny talent to both goof around and yet hold some level of confiance was what really made Rob truly one of the best friends I have ever had the pleasure of having.
As a resident of AMH for the last 2 and a bit years now, I live in a place that feels like home and bursting with fond memories of an old friend.
Outside my window every morning, there is a lone oak sapling in the middle of the lawn in front of the Hall and beside it, an inviting bench that lets Robs memory truly be understood. He was the guy you could go to for a sit-down. Whether it be serious or just one of his chats, you indeed felt a warm confidence after it. This small tree is something we can wake up to and remind us that there is a place to go; to think and go on refreshed, just like our friend Rob.
We all miss you buddy, my sincere condolences to his loving family and friends all over the world.
i first met rob in aberdeen doing my undergraduate degree. We were on the same course together. He was the first person i got to know on my course that i considered a proper friend...because he was. he was one of the nicest and kindest people i've ever met. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.
Rob was a brilliant guy, a man who would bring some kind of happiness wherever he went.
I met him shortly before I knew he was to be our new Assistant Warden in Melville and, maybe because of that, or because of his natural friendliness, he was the first Warden I considered more as a friend.
He always had ideas to bring some animation to the Hall, or would help others organising their own events. Quidditch in Saint Andrews owes him a good deal, as strange as this may sound, as he helped me setting up the first meeting.
To see him back in St Andrews after he left Melville was always a highlight, a great surprise. His enthusiasm was contagious.
I will remember him fondly.
I am very sad to learn of Rob's death. I met him on induction day and while we didn't see a huge amount of each other, he was always ready with a cheery or kind word. Those who worked more closely with Rob will feel an even greater sense of disbelief. I should like to pass my sympathies to his family, close friends and colleagues.
Thank you for passing this on Andy. This is a real shock and I can't take it in.
I would like to echo what you said, fun and enthusiastic is a very fitting description. I was very lucky to go through my undergraduate degree with him. He was a lovely guy, a friend, who had so much to offer the world and I can't believe he's gone.
I am in the US until the 25th so I appreciate that I will most likely miss the funeral but please pass on any details re funeral arrangements should you get them.
Rob was a huge amount of fun and enthusiasm, and a excellent young scientist - he was just completing his PhD with Ed. His work with us on rice milk during his undergrad project has made an enormous impact and is a lasting testament to him.
Ed had said that Rob talked very fondly of his time and the people he worked with in the lab Aberdeen. It was an honour to share that time with him - and some of us had been lucky to continuing to collaborate with him and Ed during his time at St Andrew's - he will be greatly missed.
Thank you for sharing this difficult message. I would like to express my sincere condolences on the death of Rob. He was a very pleasant colleague. I wish you and all his loved ones a lot of strength.
I was very sorry to hear the news of Rob’s untimely death and wanted to share a memory from Rob’s interview, which I recall vividly – at the time I was School Postgraduate convenor and Ed invited me to join him in his office for Rob’s interview. Rob struck me at his interview as someone with rare qualities that singled him out as a promising researcher: unusually self-confident, inquisitive, optimistic and tangential. Over the last few years, as I caught up with Rob from time to time, often in the common room at lunchtimes, I came to know him as a gentleman. He, his family and friends are in my prayers at this time.
I have been sharing memories with many of my tobacco collegues this afternoon. Even though many of them have only seen him for a short time, he did make quite an impression. Walther and I, of course, knew him a bit better, and we talked for a long time.
As said, I found the photograph of him making notes quite spot-on. One of the things I admired about Rob, that he was so able to translate discussions in experiments. He was also quite aware of dynamics going on between people. And just a nice fellow, I once invited him for dinner at my place, and we had great fun.
This news makes me very sad, and is a shock. It is with tears in my eyes that I write this email. As you know, I liked him a lot. I found the Facebook page of St Andrews, and that photograph is so well-chosen. Also, I read your condolence on the dedicated website, which is moving and true. I am short of words.
I loved Rob dearly. He was my best friend.
I met him at the front of my first chemistry lecture, about a decade ago, where the swotty kids sat. We'd been close since then.
We used to go 'adventuring', and terrorised the locals both in St. Andrews, and in Aberdeen. We'd get drunk and use power tools. He'd scare the hell out of me with driving, he'd tear up streets at pace steering with his knees. I loved that.
He was the most kind, most dependable, loyal, and kind person I ever knew.
Robert meant something different to everyone who knew him. He was my best friend, and I feel very fortunate and privileged to have known him.
I was so sorry to hear the news. Rob was such a nice, warm, thoughtful, friendly person. I feel very lucky to have known him, if only for just a short time. He was fun to be around, lightening the mood whenever he was present. My thoughts are with Shannon and his family.
Rob and I became friends during our final year at Aberdeen. Highly intelligent, funny and all round gentleman, it is with great sadness that I heard of his passing.
I will always remember the musings we had in the Cruickshank common room, and it was a joy to know Rob.
My thoughts to his family and loved ones.
I met Rob when studying my undergraduate degree at Aberdeen University and liked him instantly. He was a lovely guy; warm, friendly, funny (with such an intelligent wit!), so smart and articulate and genuinely caring. He was a unique and wonderful individual, a rare find, who left his mark on me. His untimely death has come as a huge shock and I still can't take it in.
My heart goes out to Rob’s family and fiancé. I really hope that knowing that he had, and will continue to have, such a positive effect on so many people offers you some comfort. Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do (anne-marie.carey@glasgow.ac.uk).
What a guy!
It was a pleasure and great privilege to know and to work with Rob. He was a fantastic asset to Hall and he has touched and enriched the lives of many many students. I valued Rob's opinions and advice, enjoyed his sense of humour and appreciated his genuine warmth.
If Carlsberg did friends and colleagues....................
I remember Rob as someone who would help anyone in need, very approachable, thoughtful and inspirational in his attitude towards learning for improving the world.
I was so grateful to Rob for making me feel welcome in the G&G Department: his friedly hellos and brief chats made such a difference. When I needed help for my PhD, Rob came to the rescue. Although I didn't know Rob very well, he was a wonderful support: reliable and generous with his time, he helped me clarifying what I was trying to achieve and excelled facilitating a session with school pupils.
I know that Rob brought a lot of joy to everyone he met.
I sincerely wish Rob's finance, family and loved one all the strength to celebrate Rob's life.
Rob was my research student at St Andrews University and his passing is a tragic loss. He had a wealth of fine personal attributes, not least his care and compassion both for people and the environment. Rob also had intellectual qualities – he was very bright and creative – and had real practical skills. He was close to finishing his PhD and some of his research work is already in the publication pipeline. His publications are likely to influence WHO policies intended to save lives.
Rob’s friends and colleagues at St Andrews have invariably said how nice he was. Without doubt this is true but there was also depth to Rob’s character. A conversation would be interesting rather than functional, liberally sprinkled with his quirky humour and unfailing courtesy. Rob always needed to understand how things worked. When we interviewed Rob for the studentship the panel knew immediately that we had found someone different and special.
While devastated by the loss I am deeply grateful to have had those few years working with Rob on some challenging problems, and of course his friendship.
I worked with Rob at what was know then as TSC, Rob was truly passionate about what he did and at times really amazed me with is insight and amazing passion for everything he did.
On a personal level we didn't always see eye to eye, however I can say with certainly that was not ever caused by Rob. Rob was such a personalty and a truly caring and personable person. I didn't know one person in work that had anything bad to say about Rob.
It's only times like these you truly realise how precious life is and you only get one, from the short time I knew you Rob, you lived it and made a difference in what you did.
Jon
Rob was one of a handful of postgrads I spoke to on a regular basis. I admired his height and his glorious head of hair! He was easy to speak with as he showed a genuine interest in others and faced this whole business of life with a gentle sense of humour. Whenever I think of him, as I certainly shall during those moments when you least expect to, I have no doubt I shall do with a fond smile and the sad thought that someone of his calibre should not have left us so soon. Having read many of the other messages posted here, it is obvious Rob's character has affected many; it's good to know he will be remembered for the person he truly was.
I first met Rob at the first social of his time as a Sub-Warden when I was Senior Student at Andrew Melville Hall. I'd spent two years at Melville pre-Rob, but when I recall my time there, I can't remember Melville without him. From the get-go, he was such a valued member of the community. When Rob was around every conversation seemed easier, every meeting passed twice as efficiently, the sting left every argument and everything just seemed better. Maybe because of his mighty stature, you'd imagine that he'd be conspicuous but he truly embodied Melville in the time he was there. I don't think I'd ever met anyone so level-headed, modest or with such gravitas that every idea he suggested sounded better than any of ours. I'd never have made it through that stressful year without Rob's guidance. He was also on duty at New Hall on the day I graduated. I was so glad that he was the last person from Melville I saw before I left.
To even have known Rob a little was such a privilege. He was a gentleman. I will always remember him fondly.
I got to know Rob very well as an Assistant Warden of Melville. I spoke with him on a regular basis, and although sometimes I didn't appreciate all of his advice, I'll never forget the many conversations we had and the time he spent getting to know me for me; I am lucky to have got to know Rob on a personal level. One thing he said to me which sticks out in my mind, was when he told me that he wanted to get to know as many Melvilites as possible as individuals, and I think he did this. He also told me once that life was too short; how horribly true this has become. He was a huge part of my first year at St Andrews and I never got the chance to say thank you. I will follow his advice for the remaining time I spend in St Andrews, and in the future. Like everyone else I'm deeply shocked and saddened by the news. He was more than just a warden, he was a great giver of advice, a friendly face and a great guy. Sorely missed.
I met Rob when he moved into Flat 5 in New Hall last summer. Truth be told, the room was empty before that and I really didn’t want anybody to move in. I couldn’t have more pleasantly surprised, though, when Rob moved in. There is usually some distance between people who just met, but Rob had a really warm and inviting personality and I felt at ease with him immediately. I think we even went to the Lizard the first night we met. We were a pair of mid-to-late twenty-year-old men who couldn’t dance, but we had a great time. I became closer with Rob and Shannon over the summer and fall, and I soon knew Rob better than many people I had known for years. While I usually have a tough time keeping up my end of a conversation, Rob and I would talk for hours about topics important and not-so-important, and I was usually intrigued by his point of view on things. He was also one of very few people who would agree to see The Expendables 2 with me, and for that I am grateful, as seeing that movie alone would have been pretty sad.
I didn’t see Rob as much these past few months, but we did have some drinks in the New Hall bar this spring, which was great. He was a brilliant guy with a great sense of humour and I was always glad to have him as a flatmate. Rob was truly one of the most kind, approachable and unique friends I have ever made, and I will miss him dearly. I am really, really grateful that he moved into Flat 5 last summer.
The news of Rob's passing, like everyone else was dreadful and I'm completely stunned. I met and worked with Rob in Royston around 2004 and struck up an instant friendship with him. I found we were interested in similar things, shared similar outlooks on life and had the same taste in music, and we even discussed recording music together. After our summer work finished Rob moved to Scotland to study at Aberdeen University. Even though it has been many years since I last saw him (we met up in Cambridge for drinks and chats one summer night), we always kept contact going over the internet. I'll remember him as a warm, passionate, intelligent, imaginative and kind human being who had a tremendous impact on those who knew him, and on me certainly. I missed you Rob over the years and will continue to do so. I offer my sincerest sympathy to those closest to him who have lost this wonderful person. Rest easy and in peace my friend.
My heart goes out to Rob's family and loved ones. I'm in a state of shock at the loss of one of my dear friends from university. Rob I will miss you so much, I always felt we were on the same wavelength about alot of things and I think back to the time we spent together at uni as some of the most enjoyable of my life. It was a privilege knowing you my friend.
Sad, sad news :-( Rob worked for me for just over a year as my environmental coordinator before moving onto St Andrews. I have still to this day not met anyone as passionate in their work - he regularly struggled to understand why everyone else in the business did not have the same green priorities as him. He was certainly a challenge to manage, but he made coming into work a pleasure most days. He was a great guy and I will never forget him!
I was shocked to hear about Rob's death, he was such an energetic and full-of-life type of guy. He was a fantastic warden in Andrew Melville Hall and helped us out loads with the Committee, whether it was suggesting and encouraging interesting event ideas or dealing with sensitive issues with a careful hand. A friend and a great role model - he will be greatly missed by myself and several hundred Melvillites who knew him to be a truly good man.
I just wanted to express my sincere condolences to the family of Rob. Rob was my desk neighbour for a while in Geography & Geoscience, and he was always really friendly and kind to me. He made me feel at home in an environment where I often felt out of place (I'm doing a PhD in Sustainable Development, so I'm not a geographer). We always had a friendly chat and I fondly remember his passion for music, and him introducing me to back-friendly solutions for writing on a laptop (I'm still following his advice). I didn't keep in touch after moving my desk over to Management, and I was really sad to hear of the news of his incredibly untimely death. What a loss it is for those close to him! RIP Rob - your desk neighbour Svenja