Roch Campana, FISU Secretary General Emeritus and former FISU Secretary General from 1979 to 2007, has died at the age of 79.
A true pillar of the FISU General Secretariat, he began his career at FISU as a member of the Executive Committee in 1973 and then held the position of Secretary General from 1979.
Roch Campana also remained a member of the Belgian University Sports Federation for more than 40 years including more than 20 years as President. In addition, he worked for the Belgian Olympic Committee from 1971 to 2000.
Before embracing his career in these sport instances he played basketball at the highest level, finishing runner up of the national championship in 1962 with his team, VG Ostende, and winning three times the Belgian University Championship with the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
FISU Acting President Leonz Eder and FISU Secretary General and CEO Éric Saintrond paid tribute to their personal friend.
Leonz Eder said:
“Roch Campana was not only a pioneer of FISU, for decades he was THE face of FISU. EC members came and went, commission members too, but Roch was the constant in a growing community within FISU. I remember not only countless meetings, which he led in a relatively relaxed manner, many evaluation visits, which he commented on with his own humour, cosy dinners with a glass of wine or fine whisky afterwards. Roch always told some exciting or funny anecdote, of which his repertoire was endlessly full.”
“Roch had an incredibly kind heart. He always tried to respond to all requests to make people happy. It was not easy for him to refuse someone. Like himself, he gave others a free hand in their activities. It may be that he was taken advantage of from time to time, but this did not detract from his generosity and cordiality. In the last few years, when he was already marked by his illness and no longer mobile, we had occasional telephone contact. He was always very happy about this, and also about a few postcards I sent him from many places, and thanked me. Roch was a very sociable person and loved to have people around him. He generously invited them for a drink each time and enjoyed the social hours. I miss Roch very much, including his special way of expressing himself. He has gone ahead of us, but remains indelibly in our hearts. Our gratitude and friendship is assured to him beyond death.”
Éric Saintrond said:
“When our friend Roch started his career at FISU, the secretariat was located in the basement of a sports center in Brussels, with the sole administrative support of a part-time volunteer secretary. The beginnings were a real challenge but, step by step, he set up the first professional structure in charge of the administration of FISU.”
“In 1985, I joined FISU which, at that time, was composed of two people and the Secretary General. What a long way since the 80s. “Rocco” was an extremely sensitive and generous being. He devoted his entire life to the university sport movement and FISU, which did not allow him to invest in a family life. Since his departure from FISU in 2007, Roch Campana accumulated health problems. On Thursday, 15 June at 7:00 p.m. he left peacefully and faithful to his philosophical convictions. Goodbye My friend.”