Tribute to Samuel Fortunatus Bradford Campbell on the 5th anniversary of passing.

"Today we remember and honor the life and legacy of Samuel Fortunatus Bradford Campbell (uncle SAMMY), a remarkable individual who dedicated over 60 years to education and philanthropy for the blind. For more than eight decades, Samuel's kind heart, selfless spirit, and unwavering commitment improved the lives of countless individuals. His tireless work and advocacy opened doors, broke barriers, and illuminated pathways for those with visual impairments. As we mark the fifth anniversary of his passing, we celebrate Samuel's extraordinary life, his unwavering dedication, and the enduring impact of his work. May his legacy continue to inspire and guide us, shining brightly as a beacon of hope and compassion for generations to come."

Continue to rest in perfect peace,uncle Sammy.

Dear Uncle Sam, we are thinking of you today and praying you continue to rest well in peace, in the safe arms of Jesus. We love and miss you dearly.

Continue to rest in peace Mr. Campbell. You'll be forever missed indeed

Happy happy birthday dad, we know you are up there looking down at us.
We miss you so much but we are happy we had you in our lives.
Continue to rest in peace. 

Uncle Sammy, you served your day and generation and we have fond memories of our interactions with you. We love you.

Happy Birthday Grandpa, i love and miss you so much. I know you’re up in heaven smiling down at us, dancing and singing because it’s your birthday. Rest In Perfect Peace.

Dearest Daddy! Happy birthday in heaven coz I know that’s where you are! I think of you every single day! Wish you were still here with us! Love you our hero

Samuel Fortunatus Bradford Campbell (Sam Campbell) M.B.E; M.R; C.O.R, passed on to glory on the 21st March 2019. He was a renowned special eduction teacher and accomplished composer and musician. He served as Headmaster of the Milton Margai School for the Blind for 48 years.

He has several tunes, anthems, songs and albums to his credit. He composed the tune to the Sierra Leone National Pledge , the song of National Unity and Song of Valour. His anthems include special arrangements to, “Let all the world in every corner sing “ amongst others. He will be remembered this Easter for his Easter album; at Christmas for songs like “Welcome to dis api monin”, at weddings for songs like “Fyn boy, Fyn gyal tiday na u wedin day” and a host of other compositions.

He succeeded in creating a visible platform for the visually impaired in Sierra Leone and the sub-region and actively championed their social integration. There is no Sierra Leonean visually impaired person of national and international repute who has not directly been impacted by the life of Sam Campbell.

Sam Campbell was a loving father to countless number of children, a devoted friend and teacher, a devout Christian and a distinguished patriot.
Deeply loved and sadly missed by his family, pupils and friends.

Hi daddy, today would have been your 83rd birthday; and we all know how much you loved celebrating those wonderful milestones
So even though you ain’t with us today, we certainly weren’t prepared to let the day go by without recognising it. So happy happy birthday “Pops” we known you are up there looking out for us !!
Continue to rest in perfect peace daddy.

'Daddy Campbell' as I normally called him is a lovely soul to be with. He is caring and never forget you after meeting with him for the 1st time. Remembering after the last time me and my sister Adama visited him, since then he has not seized to ask for me if I am not in the company of my sister to visit him at home. I missed the chats, fun and the prayer time we had together. I miss you so much 'Daddy Campbell' and I thank God for your meaningful life well spent, which is worth emuliating. sleep and take your rest 'Daddy Campbell'. Good bye!
Much love and blessings to the family.

Honouring a wonderful uncle
“Death ends a life not a relationship”
It’s difficult to accept, yet very true; hard to understand, yet very real -you are gone but never to be forgotten
Uncle Sammy as we fondly call him was simply the best; he lived an exemplary life worth emulating.
Fond memories of him are a reminder of his good deeds, his care & concern towards everyone’s path he crossed.
Uncle Sammy was so much fun to be around, I recall the fun times we had back in the days in Freetown where I enjoyed preparing his favourite Saturday dishes. The happy days continued whenever he was in London & the climax of it all was his visit to mine at Leicester, UK- that was fab & a memorable visit indeed. I will greatly miss our telephone conversations, as we will crack each other up so much; hence I was always looking forward to having a chat.
Your kindness, openness and guidance will be cherished forever; your legacy lives on my dearest uncle.
You will be sorely missed, but we thank God for a life well spent.
Love you dearly & may your soul rest in perfect peace.
Gloria Johnston-Taylor

Master as we called him was a fine gentleman who contributed a lot in in the lives of many successful blind persons including me. I remember when he wrote the speech day program he would always ask me to get ready for the opening remarks or vote of thanks. His love for music influenced my successful career as a music producer and we will all miss his humour and fatherly love even after some of us finished school. Rest in peace master we love you but God loves you best.

Master as we called him was a fine gentleman who did his best in promoting blind persons in Sierra Leone. I remember when he made me make speeches during our price giving ceremonies we would rehearse for hours then he would ask me “what can I give you to do it better” happily I would then ask to play the pipe organ in his living room or the new school keyboard. Mr Sam will be missed for the music and discipline at the school for the blind. Rest in peace master we love you but God loves you more.

A legend has left his mark in the history of our great nation. You will continue to live in our memories. May you find rest in the Lord.

Celebrating the life of God’s Masterpiece, a well renowned gentleman, Samuel Fortunatus Bradford Campbell, a loving Father, Grandfather, an exemplary Relative, Pioneer, Mentor and Friend; well known as Uncle Sammy.  Uncle Sammy was the founder and first Head Master of Milton Margai School for the Blind. He possessed the following accolades - M.B.E., M.R, C.O.R. He was a one-of-a kind Musician and Composer.
He was married to Margaret and they had three children – Dr. Sammretta Simbo, Magsford Campbell and Luther. He was also a proud grandfather with four grandchildren. His wife, Margaret and son, Luther predeceased him. He loved his family dearly.
Uncle Sammy was extremely intelligent and had multiple unique skills. He was very meticulous and had the ability to making things happen beating all the odds. He shared many of his life experiences with me. I was impressed by his fortitude and humble beginnings; especially with the formation of the Sierra Leone Blind Welfare Society (Blind School) - from a small building (bode-ose) near College Drive (MGHS driveway) with four young students to pioneer the establishment of the Milton Margai School for the Blind at Wilkinson Road.
Uncle Sammy was very humorous and easy to talk and chat with. He had a contagious laughter that will make anyone laugh very hard – no wonder he did not have any wrinkles. He had a great taste for dressing well and looking sharp.

Uncle Sammy’s legacy continues in his children and grandchildren, family members and also on the many lives he mentored and coached.
The Samuels family will forever miss Uncle Sammy. Rest in Perfect Peace.

Uncle Sam was my favourite uncle probably because I was his God daughter at birth. I grew up to be very fond of him. He was really special to me. Whenever he visits our home while we were kids, we will run to get him at the gate to walk him upstairs. He would recognise each one of us not only from the voice but by just the feel of the hands.
My uncle Sam was full of life and humour. He was always there for us-a very Godly and simple gentleman.
I was very happy to see and spend quality time with him in January. On both visits, we chatted and laughed and he prayed for me and my family as always.
We love and will miss him very much but we know that he is in heaven and is sleeping in paradise. The memories will forever be in our hearts. RIPP uncle Sam

It was my privilege and pleasure to get to know Sam Campbell at my time as the British High Commissioner to Sierra Leone during the dark days of the rebel war. A visit to the Milton Margai School for the Blind was always uplifting and the welcome I received as 'Uncle Peter' inspired me during those difficult times.
I much admired Sam's dedication and determination to give his children a good start in life in the face of extreme adversity. The beautiful singing of the choir under Sam's guidance and leadership encouraged me to organise the tour by the choir to the UK in 2003, and then later in 2007. As 'Auntie Kitty' has said in her tribute, those tours were truly memorable. Audiences throughout the length and breadth of the UK were amazed and astounded at their performances. At a time when Sierra Leone's image in the world was so negative, these gifted and talented young people gave hope and inspiration for a better future. They were true ambassadors for their beloved Sierra Leone. We all have much to thank Sam for.
I offer my condolences to his family.
May his soul rest in peace and perfect harmony.

'Uncle Sam', as I used to call him, would recognise my voice on the phone straight away. 'Auntie Kitty - aw de go de go?' he would reply, and we would continue.....
I will remember his mellow voice. I will remember his passion for music. I will remember his keen ear which he used to teach a melodic line for one of his many songs, or correct a rhythm or note(s) that didn't match what he had in his mind. He was an amazing musician, one of the finest I have had the privilege to know. He nurtured a choir at the Milton Margai School for the Blind which has not been equalled in this country. He asked me to score some of his choral works, and we spent some time, with Ali Conteh, getting the notes down on paper so that they could be shared by anyone interested. After his retirement, the Ballanta Academy of Music asked him to compose the theme song for the original musical 'Jegejekskayama' which he did, and this catchy song is now in the Academy's repertoire. He also came a few times just to sing with the Ballanta Music Makers until transportation became a challenge.
I got to know him really well when preparing the Milton Margai School for the Blind choir for their trips to England. He and Ali Conteh had already done the ground work. I was invited to add some finishing touches, which I was proud to be a part of. Those two trips are forever etched in my memory as some of the highlights of my life. Uncle Sam went on the trip even when he had just lost his beloved wife. Those were difficult days for him.
I will remember his words, 'If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well'. He lived by that dictum and was certainly a perfectionist in his music.
We thank him for including so many of Sierra Leone's songs in the choir's repertoire, songs that we would otherwise not know. We thank him for the 'Sam Campbell touch' in his arrangements. We thank him for bringing fame to Sierra Leone through his choir. He believed in music and praised God through it. The Ballanta Academy of Music, my family and I personally extend deep and sincere sympathies to his family and to the Milton Margai School for the Blind's present and past pupils and staff. We have lost another big 'Cotton Tree'. Thank you for being my friend, uncle Sam. We pray that his soul will rest in perfect peace surrounded by heavenly music to lighten his heart and make him smile all the time, showing his dimples.

Mr Campbell introduced us to the Blind School band and was very supporting of the band. Up till 1995 he ensured that the band entertained us in our residence on Boxing Day.We have continued to enjoy the music of the blind school band until 2014.
Thank you Mr Campbell. May you rest in perfect peace.

A great Statesman. A role model. A pioneer.
May Light Perpetual shine on him
Rest in Perfect Peace.