Immediately after Dr. Neil Campbell’s passing in late 2004, his friends, colleagues, and co-authors at Pearson Education sought an appropriate way to honor Neil and his visionary dedication to biology education.

“For all of his success and visibility, Neil never lost sight of his roles and responsibilities as an educator…He referred to his textbooks as his largest classroom,” said Beth Wilbur, Editor in Chief for Biology at Pearson Benjamin Cummings and close friend of Neil.

To gather an idea of Neil’s extraordinary impact on biology education, consider that since 1987, for example, over seven editions of his market-leading biology textbook have been used by almost six million high school and college students worldwide. Another way of looking at it is that two-thirds of all doctors, biological researchers, and medical tech personnel under the age of 35 worldwide began their study of biology with his texts.

Neil Campbell, who passed away in October 2004 is survived by his wife Rochelle and daughter Allison. Campbell believed that the best way to awaken the future scientist in students was to inspire their teachers.
Photo © B. Wilbur