Ford Woodruff Sammis

HOMES: New York City, NY; Kansas City, Missouri; Brookline,Massachusetts; Boston, Massachusetts during college at MIT; LosAngeles, California; Alabama; he traveled extensively during his earlyyears as a salesman (his children attended 15 schools in theireducational careers).

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA: Ford was described by his sister, Dar, as ahigh-spirited and difficult child, always getting into scraps andpunished. But he was also a very high achiever and his parents neverdoubted that he would aspire to great things. He went to Central HighSchool in Washington, DC and graduated with honors. He was presidentof the student body, head of ROTC and editor of the school newspaper.He went on to MIT and graduated in 1924. He met Connie there andcourted her throughout their 4 years there. His parents lived inBrookline, Massachusetts then so he lived fairly close to school. Hegrew up in a very musical family and always had an interest in music.Loved music and played the banjo in a band. He was an on-again,off-again Christian Scientist. He traveled all over the country withhis business, finally settling in southern California. He began hisown marketing consulting business called the Ford Sammis Company,serving for 30 years as a consultant for the glass container industry,beet sugar and preserving industries and many leading Ford WoodruffSammis food manufacturers and retailers. He was one of the originalmarketing research pollsters and did some of the first demographicstudies. He also assisted the real estate development industry, doingsurveys to determine the potential of certain pieces of land. He wasa professor of marketing at Claremont Men's College and a lecturer atUCLA and USC. He was on the board of MSI Data, a computer company,and took stock instead of wages. Gina Sammis, his grand daughter,remembers him having an interest in photography. The few times shewent to his home in the hills of Los Angeles, she remembers all hiscamera equipment. She remembers seeing him once a year at Christmas.He was a an avid smoker and died of lung cancer after a 6 monthillness. He was divorced from Connie about 1955 and remarried EileenKeister.

Death Certificate: 69-019714-7069 State of California
February 2, 1969 at 6:45pm at 62 years old
Cause of death Bronchogenic Carcinoma, giant cell
1 year from on set of disease to deeath according to Dr. Bruno M.Bruil, 960 Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101
He was cremated by Turner & Stevens Co., Pasadena, Live Oak MemorialPark Crematory
Parents: Whitefield Sammis & Sara Darter from Kentucky (wrong, SaraBarter Ford from New York)
Residence: 775 Panorama Place, Pasadena, CA

Social Security Death Index about Ford Sammis
Name: Ford Sammis
SSN: 562-14-8675
Last Residence: 91105 Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, USA
Born: 6 Feb 1906
Died: Feb 1969
State (Year) SSN issued: California (Before 1951)