[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 43 (Friday, March 22, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S2325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    REMEMBERING L. S. ``SAM'' SKAGGS

 Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I wish to pay special tribute 
to a man I have admired, L. S. ``Sam'' Skaggs. Sam was a private and 
quiet man yet had a resounding impact on Utah's business climate and 
many community initiatives that will be felt for generations. Sadly, 
Sam recently passed away leaving a void to many.
  Sam was part of a large family dynasty whose name became known 
throughout the country in the food and drug industry. Sam was just a 
young man when the sudden death of his father threw him into the 
leadership of the family corporation. It was apparent early on that his 
aptitude for business and his strength as a leader would serve the 
family and its businesses well for many years to come.
  During his leadership the chain of less than a dozen drugstores grew 
to more than 200 stores. He also oversaw the transition to the larger 
American Stores brand. His name became synonymous with expertise in the 
growth of business employing the strategy of a low, high volume 
approach and the rapid expansion of many common outlets.
  Sam was not only known for his business acumen--he was also a 
tremendously generous philanthropist. He helped found the L. S. Skaggs 
Pharmacy Institute at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy to 
provide students and future students of pharmacy to excel. He also made 
a generous contribution to fund the Special Collections Section of 
Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library.
  His family's ALSAM Foundation has helped many Catholic charities 
which were close to his heart. He donated the Skaggs Catholic Center, a 
57-acre complex that houses Juan Diego Catholic High School, John the 
Baptist Elementary and Middle School, and the Guardian of Angel 
Daycare. Galey Colosimo, principal of Juan Diego High School, had this 
to say about his passing: ``It is a sad day, but we remember him with 
gratitude for all he has done for us.''
  Sam also served his country and left his studies at Utah's 
Westminster College to enlist in the Army in World War II. It has been 
said that it was during his days of military service that he witnessed 
many acts of compassion by Roman Catholic chaplains, which led to his 
conversion to the Catholic Church and prompted many of his kind acts of 
service and generosity.
  I am grateful that Utah was home to this great business and 
philanthropic leader. He was a good man, and a true neighbor and friend 
to many. His memory will live on through the success of the businesses 
he led and most significantly through the generosity he exhibited to so 
many wonderful and worthwhile causes that he loved.

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