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Date: 7/6/2021
EASTHAMPTON – A memorial dedication ceremony was conducted at Nonotuck Park on June 26 to honor Ben Campbell, a former Easthampton resident and Maine State Police Detective who was killed in the line of duty while aiding a stranded motorist in 2019.
Growing up in Easthampton, Campbell loved playing baseball and was considered one of the best hitters and defensive first baseman to play in Easthampton Little League. He was known as an integral member of the 1999 Little League All-Stars State Tournament run and the 2001 Junior League All-Stars State Championship team.
As part of the state championship team, Campbell hit a walk-off grand slam to defeat a team from New Jersey in the regional tournament. He went on to play baseball at Smith Vocational High School, American Legion Post 224, Holyoke Community College and Westfield State College.
Drew Domina, a friend of Campbell’s who played baseball with him on both of those all-star teams in 1999 and 2001, told Reminder Publishing that he and Campbell won the Mass. State Tournament in 2001 thanks in large part to Campbell’s play. They would play together again for American Legion Post 224.
Campbell would go on to become a police detective in Maine, but both him and Domina reconnected once Domina created an alumni network for the American Legion team.
“The idea was to have an alumni network and offer mentoring to current Legion players,” said Domina. “Ben was the first one who responded to my emails and said, ‘I’d love to do it.’ We had talked as recently as 2017.”
Over the last couple of years, Campbell’s friends and family have worked together to create a memorial dedicated in his honor at Nonotuck Park with the help of Easthampton Little League and other departments in Easthampton. The memorial consists of a granite block in the shape of home plate, with a baseball-themed fountain on top, as well as two new water fountains and benches.
The group of Campbell’s teammates, friends, and family came together during one cookout and decided to create the memorial so Campbell’s spirit could live on. “He went on to do such great things in his life,” said Domina. “To us, there were also the smaller moments of who Ben was as a person, and we want that to be memorialized.”
As part of the ceremony, Campbell’s son Everett and wife Hilary took the first drink from the fountain after the memorial was unveiled.
Domina was one of the seven people on the Ben Campbell Memorial Committee, which was the group that spearheaded the development of the memorial at Nonotuck. The goal of the project was to reflect on Campbell and the time everyone spent with him.
“Ben transcended baseball,” said Domina. “He was a great baseball player, but he was also just a great person and a great teammate.”
Campbell’s teammates liked to call him “stoic” because of his quiet leadership, but Domina said he would also hit someone with his infectious smile or an unexpected joke. “There was never any doubt Ben would be an incredible father and incredible husband,” said Domina, who added that over a thousand people were present at his funeral service in Maine. “It’s great to see he had an impact on so many people’s lives.”
Campbell’s father Jim told Reminder Publishing that his son was a quiet and shy kid growing up who loved fishing and hunting. “You couldn’t have asked for a better young man,” he said. “I can’t remember one time I was even mad at him, if I’m being honest.”
He added that his son always accomplished what he set out to do in life, an attribute that was carried out from a young age. Since his father was already a big baseball fan, it was easy for Campbell to get involved with the sport. He would play catch, field grounders, and practice pitching with his father all the time.
According to Jim, Campbell moved to Maine because there were no exams for becoming a Massachusetts State Trooper in the time that he finished school. He started off in college going for a degree in environmental science, but then decided to go into criminal justice after realizing there may not be open positions for a long time in his original major. He went on to live in Maine for nine years.
“Whatever he put his mind to, he did,” said Jim , who added that his son would wake up at 5:30 a.m. every morning in college to go to the gym, go to school, play baseball, and then come home and do homework.
“He was a great young man,” said Jim. “Kind, compassionate … he just cared about everybody.”
According to the flyer for the memorial, Campbell’s family and friends hope that he will serve as an example for all Easthampton Little Leaguers of how to demonstrate “honesty, teamwork, and sportsmanship on and off the field.”