Sam, one of the world’s leading scholars of Spanish literature and language, died Aug. 7, 2013, at his California home.
He grew up in the Philadelphia area and attended Penn Charter. At Princeton he belonged to Tiger Inn and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa with highest honors in modern languages. He subsequently earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Princeton.
His fascination with Hispanic culture was fueled at Princeton by the renowned Spanish historian Américo Castro. Sam’s studies included Spanish ballads, improvised poetry of the Canary Islands, and the dying language of Louisiana’s Isleños. He authored some 30 books and more than 500 articles.
After teaching at Princeton, UCLA, Purdue, and Penn, he settled in at UC, Davis as a Distinguished Professor of Spanish and Classics from 1982 until retiring in 2010. He was recognized in Spain with several prestigious academic honors.
Sam had a great sense of humor, a prodigious memory, and sincere interest in his colleagues’ work. His students will remember him for singing medieval Spanish ballads in class and reciting poetry in one of the many languages he mastered.
Sam was a devoted husband and loved animals, especially his cats. To his wife of 30 years, Annie Laurie; his brother, Harry; and the extended family, we offer condolences.