Donovan Campbell grew up in Lake Highlands and married an LH girl. On March 26, Borders Books at Preston and Royal will host a book signing for Donovan to debut his newly released book, Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood.
I first met Donovan’s family at Highlander Elementary, where the five Campbell children (and my four) attended school. Donovan was exceptionally bright, later graduating from Cistercian Prep School and Princeton University, where he was at the top of his class in each. He didn’t meet his wife, Christy, in school (she attended Moss Haven and LHHS). Instead they met via their moms, who were sorority sisters at SMU.
Donovan wanted to go to Harvard Business School, but he also had dreams of being a Marine officer. Donovan’s detour to Marine Corps Officer Training School in Quantico led to two tours in Iraq, where he earned the Combat Action Ribbon and a Bronze Star with Valor. When he finally made it back to Harvard and mentioned his military experiences in Iraq in class, his professor recognized his gift as a writer and promised class credit if he’d write a book. The teacher found him an editor who then shopped his story around, and the Random House hardback was born.
Today, Donovan and Christy live in Dallas with their three-year-old daughter, Ally. Another baby girl is due in May. Donovan’s mother-in-law, LH Women’s League member Patti Brewer, is bursting with pride. “All those years I admired this young man, my sorority sister’s son. Now that he’s a part of my family, I couldn’t be more proud,” she told me. “It’s great fun having your friends become your in-laws.” Meet Donovan at Borders Book on Thursday, March 26 at 7pm.
