Hansford Sams, Jr.

The memorial service for Hansford Sams, Jr. of Decatur will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, August 20, at Decatur Presbyterian Church.  The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the church parlor. Mr. Sams died on August 17, 2005 at the age of 92.  Hansford Sams, Jr. was born January 20, 1913 in Decatur.  He was the son of Hansford Sams and Louise Scott Sams, and the great grandson of George Washington Scott, founder of Agnes Scott College.  Mr. Sams received a degree in textile engineering from Georgia Tech, where he was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity.  He served in the Army in World War II with the 12th Air Force Service Command in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and southern France, reaching the rank of Major.  Mr. Sams was the president of Scottdale Mills in Scottdale, Georgia, and Whittier Mills, Atlanta.  He was a former president of the Georgia Textile Manufacturers Association and the Georgia Textile Education Foundation, and he served as a member of the board of the American Textile Manufacturers Institute (now the National Association of Manufacturers).  Mr. Sams was a member of the board of directors of DeKalb Federal Savings & Loan, the Presbyterian Homes, and the Walton-Monroe Mills (now Avondale Mills).  He was a trustee emeritus of Agnes Scott College and a lifelong member of Decatur Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder and a trustee.  He was also a member of the Capital City Club, the Atlanta Athletic Club, the University Yacht Club, and the Decatur Rotary Club. Mr. Sams is survived by his wife, the former Hayden Sanford; his four children, Hansford Sams III of Nashville and his wife Martha Heywood, Adelaide Sams Probst of Good Hope, Georgia and her husband Cliff Probst, Elizabeth Clement Sams of New York City and her husband Jonathan Jacobs, and Louise Scott Sams of Atlanta; and his sister, Bettie Daniel of Decatur.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts to Decatur Presbyterian Church, 205 Sycamore Street, Decatur, Georgia 30030; Agnes Scott College, 141 East College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030, or to a charity of your choice.