Bill & Marie Sampson Endowed Scholarship in Music

A suggestion by a college professor to Mr. Bill W. Sampson to go see how all metal airplanes are built became a turning point for Mr. Sampson. Mr. Sampson was then a student at what was then called North Texas Agricultural College. He acquired a commercial pilot’s license and worked at Beech Aircraft in Wichita, where he held the longest service record. He served as a technical advisor for military training films at Walt Disney Studios, assisted in the world record for non-stop distance flying for planes by disassembling and reassembling non-stop flights from Honolulu to New Jersey and set a world record by flying an estimated 3,000 Beech Bonanzas. Mr. Sampson passed away in 2005. He was married to Mrs. Marie Sampson, whose passion in life was playing the piano and organ. Mr. and Mrs. Sampson were members of the College Hill United Methodist Church. They had one son, David Sampson, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The Sampson Bill & Marie Endowed Scholarship was established by Mr. and Mrs. Sampson to support a student in the keyboard program of the Department of Music in the College of Fine Arts.