OBIT: George R. SAMPLE, Jr., 2008, of interest in Somerset County, PA
  
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  Transcribed and proofread by Barry and Betty Christy.
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  SAMPLE, George R. Jr. 06/26/08 The New Republic
  May 26, 1924
  June 18, 2008
  
    George R. Sample, Jr., 84 of 505 Mead Ave., Corry, and New Smyrna Beach, FL, died
  Wednesday, June 18, 2008, at the Corry Memorial Hospital. 
    Mr. Sample was the longtime publisher of The Corry Journal, the founder of North
  Hills Golf Course, and a cheerleader for the city of Corry.
    He was born May 26, 1924, in Curwensville, the son of George and Elverta (Bloom)
  Sample. His wife Janet (Neff) Sample preceded him in death in 1998.
    He is survived by five daughters: Christine Jordan and her husband, Bob, Corry; Susan
  Sample, North Palm Beach, FL; Janet Sample, Windermere, FL, Kim Wiler, Windermere; and
  Patricia "Sam" Stetson and her husband, Dave, North East; three sons: George "Scoop"
  Sample and his wife, Marlene "Sissie", Huntingdon; David Sample and his wife, Cyndi,
  Corry; and Michael Sample and his wife, Debbie, Corry. 
    He is also survived by two sisters: Kathleen Strickland and Doreen Beard, both of
  Curwensville; two brothers: Richard Sample, Virginia; and Gerald Sample, Curwensville; 15
  grandchildren: Daniel "Boomer" Donahue and his wife, Tonya, Carrie Sample, Morgan Sample,
  J.D. McRae, Spencer McRae, Courtney McRae, Tyler Sample, Sara Sample, T.J. Wiler,
  Mackenzie Wiler, Taylor Stetson, Kendall Stetson, Riley Stetson, Sydney Sample, and
  John-George Sample; one great-granddaughter, Olivia Donahue; and several nieces and
  nephews.
    Mr. Sample graduated from Curwensville High School and from Penn State University in
  1946 with a degree in journalism. In State College he met and married his wife, Janet
  Neff, where together they boarded a bus in July 1946 to begin a 62-year career in
  journalism that all began in Corry.
    His career in journalism spanned seven decades and included a nomination for the
  Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. His love of journalism began with his college
  newspaper, The Collegian, where he served as managing editor. Following graduation, he
  started as a beat reporter for The Corry Journal and quickly moved up the ranks to
  publisher. In the 1990s he was the vice chairman of American Publishing Co., where he
  worked with the Chicago Sun Times and the Jerusalem Post. Since 2000 he had served as
  chairman of Sample News Group, which owns newspapers, including The Corry Journal, in
  four states. 
    He was active in bettering his adopted hometown, and he was a founding member of the
  Corry Area Indus trial Development Corp., which brought new industry to the community.
  His most heralded community achievement and best known legacy is North Hills Golf Course
  in Corry, a project he chaired from its inception in the mid-1960s. He received many
  honors during his lifetime and was most proud of being named the 1999 Penn State
  University Alumni Fellow, an award given to a select group of alumni who are leaders in
  their profession.
    Private family services were held Saturday, with interment in the Pine Grove
  Cemetery, Corry. A memorial service and celebration of his life was held at North Hills
  Golf Course. The family suggests that memorials be made to the Corry Public Library, 117
  W. Washington St., Corry, PA 16407. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the
  Bracken Funeral Home Inc., 315 N. Center St., Corry, PA 16407. Sign the guestbook at
  www.GoErie.com/obits.