One of my all time hero’s. His story is amazing. So got to see and meet him when I was about 8th grade.
We had a Jewish Hebrew school but no building or funds in our smallish mid America community. My father managed to contact him to ask if he would come out for a fundraiser concert. He said he would for nothing except the fees to pay the crew and band. They rented out the coliseum and Sammy did a great show as always. He was in his prime then. They raised enough money and attracted some donors and built the school.
After the concert got to go backstage and meet him. He always stuck around after the show. What a nice man. A real mench.
Few quick things. By the time he joined the army he was nearly illiterate. Someone helped him out and he learned there. He lost his left eye following a car accident in 1954. When he started in Vegas with Sinatra and the rest he could not enter through the front door but had to go in the workers door in the back.
120 lbs of pure willpower, talent and soul.
