We all lost a dear friend this past month when Sam Morton passed away. Sam began writing for Columbia Metropolitan Magazine almost from its inception 26 years ago until his last piece on the new baseball stadium in the March issue of this year. Sam was the writer we called when an article involved a meaty issue. As a former officer in the Sheriff’s department, Sam knew how to dig for answers and ask the right questions.
Kit Smith, former Richland County councilwoman, wrote to us shortly after Sam’s article on the baseball stadium was published: “The article was fair, well written, balanced and well researched. Congratulations on high standards!” This accurately describes all of his articles, as Sam had high standards as an accomplished writer for CMM as well as in his published books. He had a big heart and loved Myra, his wife, their children and his hometown of Columbia, wanting to see the city grow and prosper. A big bear of a man, Sam was a gentleman and treated everyone with respect. He used to come by our office just to chat … I am certainly going to miss his sincere friendship and jovial demeanor as well as his invaluable contributions to the pages of Columbia Metropolitan.
