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[edit] Early LifeKenneth was the first born of Homer Sample and Helen Phibbs Sample. He was born in 1910 in Munhall while his parents were living at 1705 Seventeenth Street. That was the same house that Kenneth's grandfather, John L. Sample, had lived in for the last fifteen years of his life. By 1914, Homer had purchased a house at 274 Edna Street of the Vondera plan in Mifflin Township. Homer was a heater in a steel mill in Homestead, Pennsylvania. A heater was considered skilled labor in that it required specialized knowledge to maintain the steel furnaces at the proper temperature during annealing. Kenneth’s early memories were of a family that was better off than the average person in the neighborhood. Homer was one of the first to install electricity in his home and to buy an automobile. Kenneth was fond of telling a story of driving a new Essex automobile in and out of the garage and eventually around the block – all before the age of 14. [edit] TragedyThe great tragedy of Kenneth’s life happened when he was 14. At that time, he killed his father, Homer, in a domestic dispute. When Homer arrived home on November 29, 1924, two of his sons were quarreling. Homer began whipping one of the boys, and Helen (Homer’s wife and Kenneth’s mother) intervened. Homer then turned on his wife and began striking her. Kenneth tried to get Homer to stop and when Homer didn’t stop, Kenneth got the family gun and shot his father in the abdomen. Kenneth turned himself in to the police after the shooting.[1] Homer was taken to Homestead Hospital and lingered until December 1, 1924, when he died from peritonitis as a result of the gunshot wound.[3][4] While Homer was in the hospital, a police investigator questioned him, and Homer said, “My boy was justified in shooting me. If I die I’ll get nothing more than I deserve.” As a result of Homer’s statement, Kenneth was released by the police.[2] Later, a coroner’s jury found that Kenneth’s actions were justified. During the coroner’s inquiry, Kenneth stated that he only meant to scare his father and that he never meant to kill him. [edit] Later Life and CareerAfter Homer’s death, Kenneth had to quit school to earn money for the family. The family lost their comfortable home on Edna Street, and during the 30’s, Kenneth’s family had to move often including two different addresses on Mifflin Road in Hayes, Pennsylvania. Kenneth married Matilda Halt in 1935 and by 1937, Kenneth, Matilda, Kenneth’s mother (Helen Phibbs Sample) and his two brothers, Norman and Roy Russell, were living on Muldowny Avenue in the Lincoln Place section of the city of Pittsburgh.  As mentioned previously, Kenneth had to quit school at the age of 14. However, he never stopped learning. His son often commented that Kenneth was one of the smartest men he knew. Using his intelligence, Kenneth worked his way up to being a “fitter” and a “layer out” in a steel mill in the 30’s. As steel sheets would come down the line, the “layer out” was responsible for marking the sheets so that the sheets could be cut into the appropriate shapes. The layer out had to be skilled in geometry and math to properly perform the job. During World War II, Kenneth obtained a draft deferment because of his job skills. He moved to Charleston, West Virginia, where he worked at the Naval Ordinance Plant. Family lore has it that Kenneth “layed out” the steel that was used to make the turrets of guns on battle ships. Later in his life, Kenneth was fond of visiting WW II era battle ships whenever the opportunity arose. Matilda remained in the Pittsburgh a while while Kenneth was in Charleston, but eventually joined him. Kenneth, Matilda and their son lived in a small house on the banks of the Kanawha River in a section called Saint Albans. There must have been a great deal of pressure on the job, because near the end of the war, Kenneth had a cerebral hemorrhage and was very near death. He lay unconscious for seventeen days. He survived the hemorrhage but had trouble with his legs thereafter. In order to strengthen his legs, he took a job as a brakeman on the Monongahela Connecting Railroad at Jones and Laughlin (J&L) Steel Corporation in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh. Eventually, he left J&L and went back to his job with US Steel Corporation in Homestead. He worked there as a structural layer out until his retirement in the 1980’s. Kenneth Sample passed away in 1989 after a long battle with cancer. He is remembered as gentle, intelligent, loving and generous. [edit] Kenneth's InterestsKenneth was a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He started buying season tickets in the 1930’s and continued until he was too frail to attend the games sometime in the 1980’s. He would also attend University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University football games from time to time. Kenneth loved to read and listen to music from all eras, especially the big bands of the 1930’s and 40’s. When televisions became commercially available, Kenneth was the first on the street to get one. He loved to watch professional football, both at Forbes Field in Oakland and on television. He would sit down on Sunday afternoon to watch his Steelers on TV, white shirt and tie and an Iron City Beer. Later on he did away with the tie, but always wore the white shirt. He was very meticulous about his cloths, and whenever he went anywhere, he was always well dressed. Kenneth’s nickname throughout his life was “Red.” He had bright red hair as a child when he was given the nickname, and the name stuck for the rest of his life and long after he was bald and gray. Image Gallery
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