NOW AND THEN

The People of Point Roberts

by Davea Fisher

John Campbell, Our Man in the White House
The “White House” at the foot of South Beach Road, is a navigation point for local boaters, and a welcome sight when returning home from a voyage. John Campbell and his wife Maud have lived in this familiar landmark for 22 years. The house was purchased from Walter and Sigrid Vopenford in 1981. Thor and Clara Goodmanson, Sigrid’s parents, were the first owners. In the years since the Campbells purchased the house it has been undergoing one renovation phase or another. The most important change, perhaps, was replacing the old stucco exterior with wood. The current project is to replace the bulkhead made of railroad ties with a new one made of stone.

John Henry Campbell, the owner of the house, was born on April 28, 1920 in New York City. His parents were Honor O’Rourke from Galway, Ireland, and David Campbell from Liverpool, England. As a young boy John went to a military school. Here he learned “close order drill.” It’s not a surprise then that he chose to spend his life in the military. He joined the army in 1939 in New York and served most of his time in the infantry.

When John was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington in 1942, he and his buddies would frequently hitchhike to Vancouver when they had leave. A ‘hitch’ was easy in those days, as everyone loved a man in uniform. Some of the drivers would practically fight over the chance to give a soldier a ride.

John and his pals would rent a room, packing as many fellows as they could into the space in order to save money. Then they’d head for the Alexander Ball Room in Vancouver to dance, as the Alexander was the place for singles to meet in those days. It was at the Alexander that John met and fell in love with a beautiful girl, Maud Magnussen. Maud was born in Viki Vesteralen, Norway, October 4, 1920 of Norwegian parents Petra Johansen and Marten Magnusson.

John and Maud married in 1943 and together began a journey that took them to many army posts around the world ­ Hawaii, Italy, Argentina, Korea, and San Francisco, to name a few.

The Campbells were in Texas when they started their family. Maud went home to have the first baby, but stayed on site for the others. The birthplaces of the four daughters is a short course in geography: Marion was born in Vancouver, Bonnie in Argentina, Jennifer in New York, and Diana in Fort Knox, Kentucky. The Campbells enjoyed many of the locales, but the favorite posting for both John and Maud was Buenos Aires. “A beautiful city, beautifully laid out,” says Maud.

During the Second World War John served with the 10th Mountain Division. After being wounded in Italy he went to an Army school and became an Army food inspector for a number of years. He was discharged in 1961. At this time the family moved from California to Canada where John began work as an administrator for a nursing home in Surrey, B.C., a job he enjoyed immensely. Eventually he became the owner/administrator of a modern nursing home in Vancouver, the Amherst Private Hospital, located at 375 West 59th Avenue. John says, “The most satisfying work I did was in the field of nursing home administration.”

In the early ’70s the Campbells, who lived in Tsawwassen, bought their first summer home in Point Roberts. They discovered the Point when a friend who had a cabin near Clark’s Store invited them down for a weekend. At first John and Maud lived on Elm Street, then moved to 725 South Beach Road, known locally as “the White House.”

The Campbell’s early memories of the White House before they purchased it, center on special occasions and socials held by Walter and Sigrid. “The house had a piano and always seemed to be filled with singing,” says Maud. One long time resident remembers that Wally played a mean ukulele and liked to sing. Walter and Sigrid were teachers. On one memorable day, “Walter got up on the roof and recited Shakespeare! It was very dramatic and the crowd loved it.”

“When I was moving from Elm Street to South Beach Road,” John said, “I borrowed an old beat-up truck from my friend, Helgi Thorstenson. It was perfect for the job. I loaded it with furniture and boxes and drove toward the White House. Coming down South Beach Road the brakes gave out and I was headed right for three people sitting on a log at the water’s edge. In order to stop the truck I turned into the bottom corner of the house, crash landing in the kitchen.” An arrival to remember!

In the early days the White House was well known. There was a public entrance to the beach on the left of it and a small grocery store in front. The house itself boasted an outdoor ice cream stand and a take-out for fish and chips. Today it is a private home that sits quietly behind South Beach House Restaurant, run by the Campbell’s daughter Diana and her husband, chef Max Briand.

The rooms of the White House are large and flooded with light. The architect took advantage of the magnificent view and the reflections from the water. “We feel like we are in a ship on the water.” Downstairs there are two complete suites on the water’s edge accessible to the outdoors and featuring their own entrances. Upstairs, the rooms are spacious. The dining room has a glorious view and a long, long table - large enough to seat a crowd of friends or family. Now, as then, the house is filled with music, as John has an extensive CD collection he enjoys.

“The house is the thing I like most about Point Roberts. Every weekend the rooms are filled with talk and laughter. Each of the daughters has married: Marion, (Ethridge Miller), Bonnie, (Fitch Cady), Jennifer, (Jim McPherson), and Diana, (Max Briand). Each couple has two children so we have eight grandchildren ­ three boys and five girls. The White House can accommodate them all. We’ve had many happy times here.” Now as then, the house is filled with family and friends. “The White House will always be the white house,” says John Campbell smiling, “I got a good deal on white paint.”

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