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8 February 2007
"Born Teacher" Dies in Car Accident

By Greg Garrison and William Thornton
Birmingham News Staff Writers
Reprinted in its entirety from the Birmingham News
Thursday, February 08, 2007

A popular Blount County teacher was killed in a car accident Wednesday afternoon as she drove home to Oneonta from Southeastern Elementary School near Locust Fork.

Kellie Bell Camp, 30, had taught for several years at Southeastern and was the wife of Don Camp, assistant basketball coach at Oneonta High School. She kept the scorebook for most of the boys' high school games.

"Anytime they played, she was always there," said former Blount County Schools Superintendent Smiley Veal. "She was sweet, smart, cute, happy. She loved the profession of teaching. She was a born teacher."

Brandon Horton of the Oneonta Fire Department said officials responded to a one-vehicle accident that happened about 3:15 p.m. on Alabama 75, 2.5 miles south of Allgood.

Alabama State Trooper Sgt. Tim Sartain said Camp was driving north in an SUV and lost control. The vehicle overturned and she was ejected, he said.

Her father, Ronald Bell, principal of Plainview High School in Rainsville, said she graduated from Plainview in 1994.

"She was a great child, and you need to love your children while they're here because you never know when they're going to be taken away from you," Bell said. "Kellie loved living in Oneonta, she loved her new family in Oneonta. She found them to be good and gracious people. She loved her church family."

Camp graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree in secondary social science in 1999. She received a master's degree in 2001 from Jacksonville State University.

She was the yearbook sponsor and student government sponsor at Southeastern Elementary. She was an active member of First Baptist Church of Oneonta.

Veal said Camp was admired by students and faculty at both Southeastern and Oneonta schools and her loss will have a wide impact in Blount County. "It'll be devastating."

News staff writer Christie Kelley contributed to this report. ggarrison@bhamnews.com



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