see Sam

On January 4, two days after I learned Sam had died, I compiled an email with pictures of and about Sam, old and recent, annotated, and sent it out to some mutual friends. Here it is, with a few clarifications in parentheses for those of you who weren’t around Vicksburg, Michigan with the 2000 or so rest of us in the late 60s.

As promised, here come some pictures of Sam.  The old ones I had, thanks to Darai, and are from a trip VHS sent us on to DC in early 1969.  The rest I kyped off Sam’s Facebook posts, which I reviewed back 17 months.  Slow going, because you’ve got to read his posts: droll mundane comments on a host of everyday things.  Sam advised me several years ago to keep politics out of my posts, which has been hard to do.  No doubt I’ll spend some more time scrolling back through Sam’s as far as I can.

Before I describe the pics, allow me one correction and one embellishment.  First, June had a son, not a daughter.  But it is to the ex daughter-in-law they’ve bonded.  So Sam liked being a stepfather-in-law.  And I think its cool that the road from Santa Fe to Nathrop CO, long before it became US-235, was and is the last 234 miles of the Santa Fe Trail.

First, see senior Sam with a shadowy Tom Horn (our basketball coach, and also a teacher in “Man’s Cultural Heritage”, the school’s attempt to meld history, english and socialstudies) lurking down the hall.

Next, see our group posing on a statue in DC. 

You’ll also recognize blonde Jean Van Allsburg (’69), the lovely Darai (still Linda then; she took her middle name in college), and brunette Pat Burns ( ’69) along with the tall dorks in the back.  The rest are our hosts from Robert E. Lee HS in Alexandria.  Paul Schudder (math teacher and coach, whom my class had affectionately nicknamed “Captain Cosine”) took the picture and was charged with keeping us in line.  The picture at the end of all the posted images here, which the good Captain also took, is our group horizontal. 

We spent a lot of time in bed on that DC trip.

Now, move forward 50 years and see Sam decked out for Halloween ’19.

Next, Sam and June with their Nathrop neighbor Terry Wagner.

And Sam by not-his-truck

Next see Sam take some nourishment (Vienna sausages)

Nice picture of Sam and June on their birthdays June 14, ’18

Finally, some shots of the dream home he and June built in the Rockies (8400 ft), starting with the house itself, last January.

Then, views: Mt. Antero (14,235 ft) from their master bedroom last February,

and Mt. Princeton (14,196 ft) looking north October 2018.

I know some of you know Sam only as the kinda dorky, sometimes obnoxious, but always funny doctor’s son knocking around the corridors of VHS, even managing to letter in football and basketball.  He grew up still holding on to all those traits (except the athleticism) and was someone you’d feel lucky to befriend.  Sure was true for me.  I hope these pictures help to stir up whatever your own memories might be and help as you get about learning to miss him.

Losing a friend makes you appreciate the ones you’ve got left, and I sure do

Best wishes

Bob