Call Number:

12

Repository:

Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area

Extent:

2.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1934-1955 (inclusive)

Creator:

Sample, W.S. (Walter Scott), 1908-1958

Abstract:

Walter Scott Sample, Jr. was a well-known band director in Phoenixville (Chester County, Pennsylvania), known as "the John Philip Sousa of the area." After becoming music director for Phoenixville High School in 1934, Sample started a marching band that gained attention for innovative routines and high quality of performance. The W.S. Sample, Jr. film reels and scrapbooks of Phoenixville High School music, 1934-1955, document Sample's work with the Phoenixville High School music department. It includes about one dozen 16mm color and black and white film reels of performances and seven scrapbooks of photographs, programs and ephemera, clippings, and related materials.

Walter Scott Sample, Jr. (1908-1958) was a well-known band director in Phoenixville, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He was known as "the John Philip Sousa of the area."

He was born in New Castle, Pa., to Walter and Emaline Thoman Sample. After earning B.A. and M.A. degrees in music from the Carnegie Institute of Technology, Sample taught music for four years in Irwin, Pa. before coming to Phoenixville in 1934. Sample and his wife, Emma Santner Sample, had two children.

Sample was hired as Phoenixville High School's music supervisor, and quickly began garnering attention for the school. He started a marching band, known as the "Original Dancing Band" in the 1940s. The performances were so innovative and exciting, the band was invited to perform for University of Pennsylvania games. Sample would bring his band to perform at other locations throughout the country in later years, including Atlantic City, NJ and Washington, D.C.

In 1948, Sample won the Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen Award. Several years later, in 1954, the American Legion awarded him their Legion Award for outstanding service to the community for his work with children and music. He was advisor for the Phoenixville Key Club, an affiliate of Kiwanis, and was honored with a directorship in Kiwanis International in 1956.

Sample passed away in 1958 at the age of 49.

Bibliography:

Schalata, Tom, Jr., "The Creation of the Controversial Band." The Phoenix, October 18, 1993. Clipping found in Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area subject file.

"Walter Sample, Band Director, Dies at Age 49." Clipping found in Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area subject file.

This collection consists of about one dozen 16mm color and black and white film reels and seven scrapbooks. The film reels, 1941-1955, document events such as band concerts, music festivals, dancing band performances, band practice, and football games. The scrapbooks, 1934-1941, focus on the Phoenixville Senior High School music department. They include photographs, programs and ephemera, clippings from student and local newspapers, some correspondence, music fund financials, calendars, and related materials.

The collection is cataloged in a database available on a computer on-site. Additional materials such as photographs and clippings are stored with the Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area subject files.