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One from the bully and one later
from his mom would give him
a whipping for fighting in the first
place.
Robert grew up in a strict Southern Baptist family.
There were a lot of things that were not allowed
such as dancing or going to the movies. In fact, he
didn’t see his first movie until he was 21 years
old. Church was very much the center of his family’s
life. On Sunday he generally attended four services
including, Sunday School, the 11:00 worship, youth
bible study and the Sunday evening fellowship.
His dad held various jobs in the
construction trade, i.e. contractors – plumbers,
electricians, drywall installers, carpenters, etc.
and for
years his mother worked at the local cotton mill. However
after Robert’s birth, she no longer worked outside
of the home.
Robert’s family lived about a
hundred yards from the railroad
track and he remembers his mom
feeding the hobos that would come to
the back door for food. Even though
Robert’s family was poor, his mother
somehow was always able to give
their visitors something to eat -
even if only a bowl of beans and
cornbread. The hobos were grateful
for what she gave them and would
often, to show their gratitude,
offer to do some work around the
house.
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As a young
boy, Robert enjoyed fixing
things. He would often find
bicycles that needed repair,
fix them up and then sell or
trade them for other
bicycles. When he was 13, he
started mowing yards to earn
money. His family lived on
the northwest side of
Burlington which at the time
was considered to be the
poor section of town. His
dad told him he wouldn’t
earn much money mowing poor
people’s yards and suggested
that he |
| should take his mower to
the other side of the
tracks, where the rich
people lived. He also told
his son not to give them a
price up front, but instead
just tell them to pay
whatever they felt the job
was worth. That way, his dad
proclaimed, you will earn a
lot more money. And, as it
turned out, he was right! |
By the age of 15, Robert earned
enough money to buy his first car.
It was a used yellow and green
Bantam Austin which cost him $300.
In those days, Robert could drive
without a driver’s license as long
as he stayed in the country. But
before long, being a typical
teenager, he blew the engine.
However, it wasn’t long before he
saved up enough money to purchase
his second car. Robert has always
liked cars and from necessity he had
to find out how they functioned and
how to keep them running. Even to
this day Robert can often be found
working on and restoring his cars.
In the
mid-fifties, Robert moved to Daytona
Beach, Florida where he drove a
delivery truck and worked at a Phillips
66 gas station. After moving back
to Burlington in 1958, he had saved
enough money to buy the local Pure Oil
Filing Station. He ran the business
for almost 4 years when a gentleman
who owned a local cabinet shop
stopped by with a business
proposition. He was tired of making
cabinets and he offered to trade his
cabinet business for the gas
station. A deal was made and Robert
successfully ran his new business
for the next seven years.
Knowing that Robert had a knack for
working on engines, a building
contractor stopped at his cabinet
shop, one day, to ask Robert if he
could fix his tractor. Robert made
the repair and when the fellow asked
what he owed him, Robert responded
by saying “since you don’t know
anything about your equipment, you
can trade me your tractor, bulldozer
and dump truck for my cabinet shop.
They made the trade and Robert began
his many years in the “dirt business.” He worked hard at
developing his
new grading and landscaping
business. It wasn’t long before many
of the same people he mowed lawns
for when he was 13, were once again
his customers. His father had always
taught him to treat others as he
would want to be treated and to this
day, Robert attributes his success
to closely following that principle.
He built his business on his
reputation of honesty and providing the
highest quality of work.
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Robert soon took on larger and more
profitable jobs. His company handled
a number of housing developments as
well as roadway grading and
construction. He built roads in
North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia and here in Florida. He even
built a ten mile stretch of I-75 in
the Pine Ridge Road area of Naples.
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In 1979, Robert made Naples
his home. Upon retirement,
Robert traded one of his
bulldozers for an old car
which he promptly began
restoring. Robert admits he
has a love for things from
the past whether it is a
car, furniture, buildings or
collectibles. It is a way
for Robert to connect to the
days gone by. He
especially has an appreciation and a
sense of value for those things made
here, in this country. Through the
years when he was growing up poor,
he understood the importance of
fixing things and making them last.
“When you’re born poor, you have to
learn how to do things for
yourself.” In Robert’s family there
was no such thing as a “throw away
mentality.” |
After living
almost 2 decades in Naples,
Robert yearned for a smaller
community and in 1998 he
moved to Punta Gorda. He
felt that Punta Gorda was
not only a beautiful little
community, but the |
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people were also very friendly. He
bought a home in PGI and then found
some property on Taylor Street,
across from the old Train Depot
where he could build a place to
house his collectibles. He designed
the building himself which
won an Architectural Award
from Historic Punta Gorda.
Robert enjoys the simple
things in life: good food,
friendly people, old cars
and beautiful sunsets. He
enjoys spending time with
his seven |
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grandchildren and two
surviving children. He has
spent the last twenty years
with the love of his life,
Willie, a lovely, vibrant
woman who just happened to
be the first person he met
after moving to Naples. |
After Hurricane
Charley hit Punta Gorda, we touched
base with Robert to see how he
weathered the storm. Unfortunately,
the roof on his home was ripped off
and the inside received extensive
damage. His building on Taylor
Street also suffered roof damage as
well as some damage to his
collectibles inside. On Saturday
morning, August 14, a couple of
friends of his drove up from Naples
to help secure his roof with plywood
and by Monday, a roofing crew made
the necessary permanent repairs.
Robert felt it was so important for
the residents of Punta Gorda to be
able to drive by and see at least
one building that still looked nice
amid all the destruction. After
assessing the damage to his beloved
Punta Gorda, Robert said “it hurts
your heart to see what happened to
all the old buildings.”
Robert’s RTC
Collectibles' building is not old, but
at first glance one would think so.
The colorful old gasoline pumps that
stand tall in front of the building
beckon you to come in and step back
in time. Robert’s eclectic
collection has something of interest
for everyone. In fact, it is like
visiting a museum filled with old
cars, toys, furniture and
memorabilia.
Punta Gorda has
often been referred to as a hidden
jewel; well, Robert Campbell is
certainly one of Punta Gorda’s
precious gems and we thank him for
being a big part of why our
community is so special. 
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