Sarah and Allison

1
Samuel Joseph Francis

• Sarah and Allison

2
Raider For Life

• Born in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 26,
  1915
• Graduated from Greenville High School in 1933
• Graduated from Furman University in 1937

3
Raider for Life

• Loyal to Raiders and enjoyed camaraderie of his
  class
• Proud of his GHS heritage and remained active in
  Greenville High Activities throughout his life
• Very involved in charity projects and raising
  money

4
Father Figure

• Samuel Francis was never married and he never had
  children of his own
• However, he was an incredible father figure to
  all of his nieces and nephews
• He also acted as a mentor to many of the young
  men he came in contact with when participating
  with the USO
• He would organize dinners and social activities
  to entertain them and take their minds off the
  army while they were taking breaks

5
The Jefferson Award

• Awarded annually to five locals who provide
  unselfish service to the community
• Samuel Francis received this award in the 1980s
  for his outstanding community service

6

• In 1980, Mr. Francis directed a campaign to save
  Sirrine Stadium
• Through his efforts, GHS attained Furmans former
  stadium, Sirrine Stadium

7
Greenville High Alumni Association

• In the mid 1980s, Mr. Francis started the
  Greenville High Alumni Association
• Together, they planned and celebrated the
  Centennial Anniversary of GHS

8
Greenville High Renovation

• Francis was also responsible for a new Greenville
  High Alumni Association campaign which involved
  refurbishing the lobby, replanting the courtyard,
  and renovating and renaming the auditorium after
  Robert Hemphill.

9
The Legendary Sam Francis

• Charity Rose Ball
• St. Francis Hospital
• St. Marys Catholic Church
• American Red Cross
• USO in WWII
• Mardi Gras Charity Ball
• Rhodes Ball
• American Legion
• S.C. Kidney Foundation
• Committee to Revitalize

10
Interview Mary Lou Howard

• What would you say were Samuel Francis greatest
  accomplishments? Sam was involved in many, many
  charities and organizations in Greenville. The
  one he was most involve with was St. Francis
  Hospital and the healthcare system where he was
  director of Public Relations and Developments for
  seven years. He worked with St. Francis at a
  time when there were still many nuns being
  employed as nurses there. He worked a lot with
  them and is partly responsible for keeping the
  healthcare system afloat in Greenville.
• What drove Francis to be so involved with
  Greenville High after he graduated? Sam was a
  businessman and an educator and he, himself,
  taught in Georgia for many years. He was proud of
  going to Greenville High and he wanted to give
  something back because so many teachers there had
  inspired him to go in to education. He also loved
  being involved with the Alumni Association.
• How much difference did he make in the Alumni
  Association? He was one of the founders and he
  thought it was extremely important. He worked
  very hard and at the time of his death, there was
  over one-hundred thousand dollars in the
  treasury. This was due in large part to him.

11
Interview (cont.)

• Francis was also very involved with St. Marys
  school. How did he make an impact there? He
  taught civics, drama, and English there. He was
  also choir director and taught some music. He was
  a devout Catholic and he was really happy with
  the time he spent at St. Marys.
• Overall, what can you say about Samuel Francis?
  He was a great person and like a father to me.
  It is a shame he never had children of his own. I
  know that he impacted a lot of young peoples
  lives in teaching, charity work, and in his own
  family. He had so many charitable endeavors and
  he was a very generous man.
• Mary Lou Howard was Samuel Francis niece and
  because he did not have any children of his own,
  they were very close. Mrs. Howard said that
  Francis was like a father to her

12
Interesting Fact

• While at Furman, Francis acted in a play called I
  Remember Mamma. He received an Oscar at the
  Little Theater for best supporting male actor.

13
Tribute to Samuel Francis

• His untimely death in 1997, prevented him from
  seeing GHS tribute, the Sam Francis Water
  Fountain
• Greenville High received the water fountain in
  1998, and placed it on the front patio, just as
  he had requested before his death.

14
Bibliography

• We used this site to gather pictures and
  information about Greenville High.
• http//greenvillehigh.greenville.k12.sc.us/index.a
  sp
• We found more information about Samuel Francis
  place on the Wall of Fame here.

15
Project Credit

• Allison- Research with Francis Family, PowerPoint
  design, Simulated Interview
• Sarah- Online research, PowerPoint information,
  Simulated Interview