Samuel Wallace Speck Jr.

COLUMBUS - Dr. Samuel Wallace Speck, Jr., age 86, passed away following an acute illness and after a brief stay in hospice care at Kobacker House in Columbus, Ohio. He was a resident at Wesley Glen Retirement Community in Columbus. He was married to his wife Sharon for 55 years until her death in 2017. Sam was born to the late Samuel and Lois Speck in Canton, Ohio. After graduating from Louisville High School he went on to graduate summa cum laude in Political Science from Muskingum College (now Muskingum University). He earned a Masters and PH.D. in Government at Harvard University and attended the University of Zimbabwe as a Rotary Foundation Fellow. Sam went on to touch innumerable lives with lifelong public and academic service. Starting in 1964 Sam was a member of the faculty at Muskingum for over thirty years. During that time he served as an Ohio State representative and senator for twelve years. Appointed by President Reagan in 1983, Sam served as Associate Director in the Federal Emergency Management Agency for three years. Sam became President of Muskingum in 1988, a role he held for twelve years. In 1999 Governor Taft appointed Sam as the Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and he served in this capacity for nearly eight years. From 2008 to 2011 Sam served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama as a U.S. Commissioner on the International Joint Commission focusing on boundary water issues between the U.S. and Canada. Sam is survived by his sons: Sam (Ellen) Speck and Derek Speck, and his grandchildren: Sam (Taylor) Speck, Sarah (Sajal Tiwary) Speck, and Steven Speck. Visiting hours will be held at Schoedinger Funeral Home, 6699 N. High Street, Worthington, Ohio on Thursday, March 9th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Funeral services will be held at the Worthington Presbyterian Church on Friday, March 10th at 11:00 AM. A graveside service (open to the public), will be held at the New Concord Cemetery on Friendship Drive in New Concord, Ohio on Friday, March 10th at 3:00 PM. Donations in Sam’s memory can be made to Muskingum University. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to view his complete obituary. Arrangements have been entrusted to the SCHOEDINGER WORTHINGTON funeral home.