Campbell Park
Beck Ave. & Yvonne Ln.
8 acres
Campbell Park is located in south Tempe at what can
honestly be stated as the far southwest corner of
Tempe. Located on 8 acres in the Sierra Tempe
development, Campbell Park became the 43rd
park in the City of Tempe upon it’s dedication in
November 1994.
Campbell Park was named in honor of Rudy Campbell,
Tempe’s first directly elected mayor. Rudy was born in
Oklahoma and traveled west to Arizona with his family
who were migrant farm workers. Upon arriving in
Arizona, the Campbell family settled in Mesa. With the
outbreak of World War II, Rudy joined the military and
served his country admirably.
After
completing his military service, Rudy returned to
Arizona and began a career in banking with the Bank of
Douglas located in downtown Tempe. He served one term
as councilman from 1958-1962 and became the City’s first
directly elected Mayor in 1966 after the voters approved
Tempe’s City Charter in 1964.
Mr.
Campbell is known for his extensive contributions to the
community. He was the founding chairman of the board
for the Arizona State University Research Park in south
Tempe and former chairman of the Sun Angel Foundation.
In 1958, he was selected as Tempe’s Citizen of the Year
and most recently he served as a member of the Arizona
Board of Regents.
