Shirlington in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 28, 2026

1. Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell Marker

Inscription.

Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell. . Campbell Avenue is named in honor of Edmund D. and Elizabeth P. Campbell, whose accomplishments and civic activism set a high standard for all to follow.. Margaret Elizabeth Pfohl was born December 4, 1902, in Clemmons, North Carolina. She received a Bachelor's degree in English from Salem College and a Master's degree in education from Columbia University. At just 25, she became dean of Moravian College for Women in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1929, she became dean of Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. In June 1936, Elizabeth Pfohl wed Edmund D. Campbell. They settled in Arlington County and raised four children., Concerned about the quality of public education in Arlington, Elizabeth Campbell won a seat in 1947 on the County's first elected school board. She was the first woman to be elected to a school board in Virginia. She served three terms, 1948-1951, 1952-1955, and 1960-1963, and was chairperson three times. Her leadership and commitment led to funding for seven new schools; hiring more teachers at better salaries; starting such programs as kindergarten, full-day sessions for first- and second-graders, music and art classes for African American students, and educational services for the disabled; and launching the first countywide school bus service. In the mid- to late-1950s, she and her husband joined together in the struggle to desegregate Virginia's public schools., In 1957, Elizabeth Campbell became president of the Greater Washington Educational Television Association (GWETA), formed to offer a nonprofit and noncommercial educational broadcast service to the Washington, D.C. area. In 1958, GWETA inaugurated its first daytime broadcast on local station WTTG, airing Time for Science, a science enrichment program for elementary school students. In 1961, a public television station began broadcasting in the nation's capital as WETA Channel 26. Under her pioneering leadership, WETA flourished, growing from a small local public television station into a multimedia company of national renown. Elizabeth Campbell stepped down from her role as president in 1971 to become WETA's vice president of community affairs, a position she held until her death., Elizabeth Campbell received many awards recognizing her decades of public service, including Washingtonian of the Year in 1978 and public television's highest honor, the Ralph Lowell Award, from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1996. She also received five honorary doctorate degrees. Elizabeth P. Campbell died on January 9, 2004, in Arlington.

Campbell Avenue is named in honor of Edmund D. and Elizabeth P. Campbell, whose accomplishments and civic activism set a high standard for all to follow.
Margaret Elizabeth Pfohl was born December 4, 1902, in Clemmons, North Carolina. She received a Bachelor's degree in English from Salem College and a Master's degree in education from Columbia University. At just 25, she became dean of Moravian College for Women in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1929, she became dean of Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia. In June 1936, Elizabeth Pfohl wed Edmund D. Campbell. They settled in Arlington County and raised four children.

Concerned about the quality of public education in Arlington, Elizabeth Campbell won a seat in 1947 on the County's first elected school board. She was the first woman to be elected to a school board in Virginia. She served three terms, 1948-1951, 1952-1955, and 1960-1963, and was chairperson three times. Her leadership and commitment led to funding for seven new schools; hiring more teachers at better salaries; starting such programs as kindergarten, full-day sessions for first- and second-graders, music and art classes for African American students, and educational services for the disabled; and launching the first countywide school bus service. In the mid- to late-1950s,

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she and her husband joined together in the struggle to desegregate Virginia's public schools.

In 1957, Elizabeth Campbell became president of the Greater Washington Educational Television Association (GWETA), formed to offer a nonprofit and noncommercial educational broadcast service to the Washington, D.C. area. In 1958, GWETA inaugurated its first daytime broadcast on local station WTTG, airing Time for Science, a science enrichment program for elementary school students. In 1961, a public television station began broadcasting in the nation's capital as WETA Channel 26. Under her pioneering leadership, WETA flourished, growing from a small local public television station into a multimedia company of national renown. Elizabeth Campbell stepped down from her role as president in 1971 to become WETA's vice president of community affairs, a position she held until her death.

Elizabeth Campbell received many awards recognizing her decades of public service, including Washingtonian of the Year in 1978 and public television's highest honor, the Ralph Lowell Award, from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1996. She also received five honorary doctorate degrees. Elizabeth P. Campbell died on January 9, 2004, in Arlington.

Erected 2023 by Arlington County, Virginia.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in

Historical markers for Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell and Edmund Douglas Campbell image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 28, 2026

2. Historical markers for Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell and Edmund Douglas Campbell

these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Communications • Education • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is January 9, 2004.

Location. 38° 50.455′ N, 77° 5.396′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Shirlington. It is on Campbell Avenue south of South 28th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington VA 22206, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Edmund Douglas Campbell (here, next to this marker); Welcome to Jennie Dean Park (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Margaret Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Welcome to Jennie Dean Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Welcome to Jennie Dean Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Welcome to Jennie Dean Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wheelhouse, 2021 (approx. ¼ mile away); Jennie Dean Park (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.

Other markers no longer nearby. Edmund Douglas Campbell

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(was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Elizabeth Pfohl Campbell (has been replaced with this marker).

Credits. This page was last revised on February 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 28, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 37 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.