I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak about Sam. I first met Sam in 1973 when I moved from New Jersey to Pittsburgh to join Charlie Brinton's lab as a graduate student. I say "first met Sam" because over the next 33 years our lives crossed paths several times between New Jersey and Pittsburgh. We saw Sam in Greenfield and Upper Saint Clair Pennsylvania and at his home in Washington's Landing, New Jersey.
Sam was my Mentor, he taught me Electron Microscopy. He taught me the art of preparing samples and analyzing them. He was a Colleague and a Friend.
Sam was a good scientist. He helped develop a sophisticated technique for preparing samples to be looked at by the electron microscope for Charlie. When I visited Sam many years later and asked him about that technique, he informed me that had made significantly changes. Sam had developed new procedures, which would allow finer structures to be resolved. He was never satisfied with the status quo.
When an opportunity in New Jersey came up, Sam moved there. Eventually I moved to New Jersey, my roots, and we met up again. And when I moved back to Pittsburgh, Sam was here to greet me once again.
Sam was a principled man. One day while in Charlie's lab I heard Charlie arguing with someone in the hall, which wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Then Sam stormed into the lab and threw a bunch of papers in the sink, doused them with a flammable liquid, and ignited them. He then said to Charlie, "There, now no one will be able to read them!" I later found out, after the hullabaloo calmed down, that what was going on was Sam promised someone that he would keep a draft publication confidential and Charlie saw it on Sam's desk and insisted on reading it. Sam was not going to go back on his promise to keep it confidential. He was a principled man – That was the only time that I ever heard Sam raise his voice in anger.
Sam guided my use of the electron microscope through my graduate school years. I had used this instrument infrequently over the next 25 years, until recently but, always thought of Sam when I did. This past Thursday I went to the University of Kentucky to use their high resolution model for a current project I am involved with. I thought of him and discussed him and his work with my colleagues. Knowing what I learned from Sam significantly improved my ability to do this work. Ironically, on that day, Sam left us.
It saddens me to know that I will never be able to look forward to crossing Sam To's path
– ever again. But I take solace in knowing that my life has been enhanced by Sam's influence during my graduate school years and the encounters there after. I will miss Sam, my mentor, my colleague, and above all, my friend.
Your work here is done Sam, you did a good job, Rest In Peace.
RemembranceYou can shed tears that he is gone,Or you can smile that he has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back, Or you can open your eyes and see all he has left. Your heart can be empty because you can't see him, Or you can be full of the love you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember him and only that he's gone, Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, Be empty and turn your back, Or you can do what he'd want: Smile, Open Your Eyes, Love and Go on. –Author Unknown |