Howard W. Sams

Sams Technical Publishing, LLC, (formerly the Howard W. Sams Company) is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Company began more than 60 years ago as a publisher of service manuals for radio technicians.

Founder Howard W. Sams saw a market gap that no one was filling—the need for service technicians to have schematics and other service guidelines for the radios they were repairing.

He recognized the growth potential of consumer electronics after the 2nd World War and capitalized on its growth by providing training for repair professions now know as TV Repair men. Howard then focused on publishing repair manuals for everything from radios to TV’s and related books about the equipment used in the electronic business.

The company Howard W. Sams founded in 1946 with 12 people, underwent many changes in owners and publishing missions over the years.

Howard W. Sams and Co. Inc., an Indianapolis-based publisher of technical training manuals and textbooks. Sams had been in the publishing business for almost 20 years when it decided to try its hand at running a private trade school. It established its first school--Sams Technical Institute--in Indianapolis in 1963. The institute, which taught electronics, consisted of 28 students. Sams acquired two more schools in 1965 and 1966: Teletronic Technical Institute, of Evansville, Indiana; and Acme Institute of Technology, Inc., in Dayton, Ohio. A fourth school was also opened in Fort Wayne, Indiana, during that time period.

In October of 1966, Howard W. Sams and Co. was purchased by ITT Corporation, a large, New York-based conglomerate and was the first of many transfers of ownership.

Howard Waldemar Sams BIRTH JANUARY 13, 1897 Warrensburg, Johnson County, Missouri DEATH 19 May 1974 Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana BURIAL Crown Hill Cemetery Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana son of Walter Sams & Susie Ellen Walsh

He studied law but no record of him earning a degree or what institution he attended.

He went into sales, and worked at Goodyear, General Battery and PR Mallory. At Mallory he handled sales literature and got involved with the technical instructions. At Mallory he developed the"Radio Service Encyclopedia" and the "MYE Technical Journal. Their success got him promoted but it also gave him the idea he could strike out on his own

married: 5 Aug 1938 & 19 Mar 1941 Marion county Indiana Marion, Indiana Barbara Johnston Hereth Marion, Indiana Barbara Hereth 19 Mar 1918 Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana DEATH 25 Feb 2014 Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, BURIAL 17 Mar 2014 Crown Hill Cemetery Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana PLOT Section 78; Lot 31 daughter of Oliver Tinsley Hereth & Mary Jane Gramling

She was married to the late businessman Howard Waldemar Sams. They had four children, including a set of twins, all of whom survive her. In addition, she has ten grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She also is survived by a sister. In addition to raising her children, Barbara was active in school and civic affairs and was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church and its altar guild.

Services are private. Please consider a memorial contribution to a favored organization or to one that would be meaningful to Barbara. - Indianapolis Star on Feb. 26, 2014

They had:

Summer Lake Resident Acquires Noted Indianapolis Book Publishing Frirm

A Profie of Howard W. Sams

Fast-Moving Hoosier

Howard W. Sams, chairman and chief executive officer of Howard W. Sams & Co., Inc. and affiliated Indianapolis companies, is a "shirt sleeves executive" as his associated will testify

Born on Jan. 13 1897 the son of Walter and Susan Ellen (Jacobs) Sams, Howard spent his early boyhood in Missouri.

During World War I,he served in the U. S. Navy.

HIs Early buiness association included retail and industrail selling experience with Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Universal Battery, and district sales management responsibilities with E. R. Cunningham, Inc. of Chicago

From 1934 to 1945, he served P. R. Mallory & Co., Inc. of Indianapolis as wholesale division manager, advertising manager, and gerneral sales manafer. He was also chairman of itds Post War Planning Committee.

Howard Sams left the Mallory company in 1945 to become a consultant and shortly thereafter founded his own company in 1946.

He is a trustee of Park School at Indianapolis and a member of several Indianapolis Clubs, including Columbia, Indianapolis Athletic, Meridian Hills Country Club, and th the Athenaeum. Sams also is a member of th Radio Old Timer's Club.

Mr. and Mrs. Sams and their four children reside at 414 Kessler Boulvard, West Drive, in Indianapolis. Their summer home is on Lake Maxinkuckee at Culver, - 24 Jun 1959

23 May 1974

Howard W Sams Dies

Howard W. Sams was a longtime summer resident of Culver, with a home on the south shore of Lake Maxinkuckee. The following article appeared in the Indianapolis Star.

Howard W Sams, 73, a longtime salesman,man who built Howard W. Sams. Cumpany Inc and subsidaries into internationally known buisiness in the research and publications industries, died yesterday Sunday, Mav 19, 1974 in his home.

Mr. Sams. 5001 Buttonwood Crescent, was chairman emeritus ot the Howard W Sams Company, Inc. and the Bobbs-Merrill Company. He also was chairman of the board of Waldemar Industries Inc. and the former Sams Techical Institute, and was a director of the Indiana National Bank and the Ransburg Electro-Coating Corporation.

Howard W Sams' Company and Bobbs-Merrill now are subsidiaries of International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation and lnterrnational Telephone and Sams Techical Institute is a part of Techical Institute.

The Sams' company is activc in research and publication foreducational and informational products and technical services. Bobbs-Merrill publishes technical, children's and law books.

Mr. Sams active in affairs of DePauw Univerversity and member of the old lndianapolis Board of Public Work, during the administratinn of Mayor Alex M. Clark, was the sonof the inventor of the first dime savings bank.

Born January 13, 1897, was Warrensburg, Mo. he was a Depauw graduate.

One of his first jobs was as manager of a Chicago theater firm in 191 b. and during World War I he was stationed with the Navy at the Cleveland Naval Station.

From 1919 to 1922. he was a salesman for Goodyear Rubber Company at Chicago, then became sales manager for the Universal Battery Company of Chicago. In this job he carried a sample case of old-style radio batteries over the western half of the country.

In 1927 he joined E.T. Cunningham Inc., vacum tube manufacturing frim, as Chicago district manager and later New York district manager.

He came to Indianapolis in 1933 to work at P.H. Mallory Company Inc. and eventually became general sales manager.

The company bearing his. name evolved from an idea he had after World War II. He wan ed to provide acurate, timely information on service and repairs for the booming post-wa r electronics industry· So he planned ways to simplify the difficult job of probing the flood of eletronic consumer goods rolling off production lines.

His, Photofact system provided service men with photographs of each new radio chassis, with circuit diagrams, parts numbers and tips on trouble shooting and repairs.

When he started his company in 1946, he received $60,000 worth of business in a week of selling.

The company flourished, branching into service for televison, high fidelity tape recorders and related eqUipment, then began publishing a magazine for lectronics technicians and books covering many technical fields.

In 195O Sams' annual sales reached $1 million for the first time.

Asked ahout his formula for success he said:

"Look outside yourself. Become interested in someone outside of Howard Sams. When you discover what the people need and then try to fill that need. you have discovered the secret of the formula. You must look at people as an opportunity to serve."

His first major acquisition was the Bobbs-Merrill Company. He purchased controlling interest in 1958. He started Waldemar Press Inc. and the Howard Company Inc. and these merged with the Sams Company in 1959.

In 1962, the parent company built a $2.5 million plant to house all Sams' divisions at West 62d Street and Guion Road. The company continued to grow,acquiring a total or 12 firms in 16 years.

Acquisitions. included Implement and Tractor Publications of Kansas City. Mo, in 1962; 40 per cent interest in World Marketing Services lnc. of New York the same year; American Handbook and Textbook Publishing Company Inc. in 1963; Teletronic Technical lnstitue of Evansville in 1905; and Acme Institute of Technology Inc. of Dayton, Ohio in 1966.

Sams Technical Institute, the training arm of the parent company, was created in 1962.

Eventually, the parent firm embraced five divisions and four subsidiaries - Bobbs-Merrill, American Handbook, World Marketing Service; and Implement Tractor with 11 additional divisions.

When ITT acquired the Sams Company and subsidiaries in October, 1966, annual sales were $17 million, and Mr. Sams became an ITT director.

He remained as chairman of the board of Sams and later started Waldemar Industries Inc., investment holding company. His interests also included Waldemar Farms Inc. and Intertee Publishing Company.

Mr. Sams was elected president of the DePauw University Dads' Association in 1964.

The following year he received honorary degrees from DePauw and Westminster College. New Wilmington. Pa.

He was elected to the DePauw steering committee for development in 1965, and three years later was~ elected to the university's joint board of trustees and visitors.

He was a trustee of Park-Tudor School and a director of Indiana National Bank, Methodist Hospital, Crossroad Inc., Visiting Nurses Association and Indianapolis Zoological Society.

He was a frequent recipient of the Friends of Service Management Award of the National Alliance of Television Electronic Service Associations.

Services were held at 11 a .m. Tuesday in St. Paul's Episcopal church of which he was a member.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial contribution be made to the American Heart Fund or Young Life.

Survivors include his widow, Mrs. Barbara H. Sams: three sons - Thomas H., Timothy H. and David W. Sams. and a daughter. Mrs. Mary Penelope Lehman, all of Indianapolis

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Howard W. Sams