Distinguished alumnus, longtime supporter McLeod dies at 98

For the second time in the last three months, the Campbell University community lost a longtime supporter and advocate and a connection to school founder J.A. Campbell.

Bernard F. McLeod Jr. - a 1945 graduate of Campbell Junior College, lifetime member of the Board of Trustees and benefactor of the McLeod Admissions Building dedicated in 2018 - passed away on Thursday at the age of 98. His mother was once a housekeeper for Dr. Campbell, and his father was close friends with Campbell and taught at then Buies Creek Academy. The family home in Buies Creek stood where the John W. Pope Convocation Center is today.

His passing follows Burgess Marshbanks Jr., who died in July after living nearly all of his 102 years in Buies Creek.

"The Campbell University family is saddened to learn of the passing of Bernard McLeod, Jr.," said Campbell University President Dr. William M. Downs. "In this difficult moment we do, though, celebrate Bernard's long and full life, reflecting with gratitude upon his many lasting contributions to our campus and to our community."

McLeod was born in 1926, the year his father joined the school's Board of Trustees and the year BCA became Campbell Junior College. He played baseball and basketball as a student during his two years and finished his bachelor's degree at Wake Forest University. McLeod went on to a successful career as an automobile dealer, insurance agent, tobacco purchaser and real estate developer.

He held fast to his connection to his hometown and its university. McLeod served on Campbell's Board of Trustees for 10 years and was named a Lifetime Trustee in 2018. In 2010 he was presented the James Archibald Campbell Meritorious Service Award. In 2021, the Campbell Alumni Association named McLeod a Distinguished Alumnus. And in 2023, McLeod was awarded an honorary degree from Campbell.

He would become president of the Fuquay-Varina Junior Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Fuquay-Varina Town Planning and Zoning Board, president of the Fuquay Lions Club and member of the Philomathean Literary Society. He and his late wife Virginia were longtime members of Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church.

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Downs visited McLeod at his home in August after becoming president, making McLeod the only person to have met all six presidents in Campbell's 138-year history.

"It was a personal honor to visit Bernard and to hear his fond recollections of a life well lived," Downs added. "What was clear to all who sat in the McLeod's den that day is that this man had been a friend to many and that his journey had positively impacted those whose lives he touched. That is a profound legacy, gifted by a man who shall be widely missed."

In 2018, Campbell dedicated the Bernard McLeod Sr. Admissions & Financial Center, the naming gift provided by McLeod Jr. in honor of his family's legacy in Buies Creek and with the University. The building was the first step in a re-imagining of the Academic Circle on Campbell's main campus - its neighbor, the Oscar N. Harris Student Union - was dedicated two years later. The McLeod Building houses Campbell's admissions office and financial aid department and serves as the "front door" for prospective students.

McLeod was the great-great-grandson of a Scottish immigrant, four generations removed from Scotland. As a child of the Great Depression, he knew well the value of a dollar and the merits of a thrifty lifestyle. The McLeods hailed from the Highlands of Scotland, a land of striking beauty, yet harsh and rugged. As the saying goes, "a bonnie Scotsman can make much from little."

He is survived by his two sons, Bernard Franklin McLeod, III and wife, Elaine, and Wiley Stewart McLeod and wife, Tammy; five granddaughters, Martha Heath (Tyler), Hannah Parks (Kevin), Madison Turner (Matt), Hilary Squire (Tom), and Caroline McLeod; and six great-grandchildren, Emory and Powell Heath, and Brooks, Tucker, Grace and Eleanor Parks.