William Samuel Pond

William Samuel Pond
William Samuel Pond passed to his heavenly reward July 6, 2012, with his wife, Marian, daughter, Susan, son, Dennis and daughter-in-law, Frances, at his bedside. Sam was born February 11, 1921, to Harry Martin Pond and Emily Alice McCurdy Pond in Scotia, California. His father worked for the Pacific Lumber Company and his mother was a public school teacher. In school Sam studied violin and became quite proficient. He also rode horseback over much of the country from Scotia to Kneeland. His mother taught in a one room schoolhouse in the ranch country east of Eureka, and Sam was in her class for most of his elementary education. In high school, Sam played euphonium in the school band in addition to violin in the orchestra at Fortuna High School. The band journeyed south to San Francisco in 1938 to play for the grand opening ceremonies of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Sam attended Colorado State University at Fort Collins and met Marian Jackson. When the United States entered World War II, Sam enlisted in the Navy as a medical corpsman. From September, 1942, to December, 1944, Sam served aboard the USS Zeilin with the Pacific Fleet in every engagement. As Sam said, "A troopship going in and a hospital ship coming out." Sam and Marian were married in San Diego, California, on June 6, 1943. It was one of those wartime marriages that wasn't supposed to last. When Sam died, they had been married 69 years and one month, to the day.
As a Christian, Sam was an exemplary husband, father, and teacher. He and Marian were active in church wherever they lived. Sam and Marian had a son, Dennis, and a daughter, Susan. Sam finished his college degree in 1949 and took a job as an agriculture teacher in Cedaredge, Colorado. After five years, during which he established a Future Farmers of America chapter recognized throughout Colorado, he and Marian decided to move to California. He accepted a position at the junior college in Blythe, and a year and a half later, in 1956, moved to Chaffey High School in Ontario, California. In 1956, Chaffey had the fourth largest ag program in the state, and by 1960, it was being phased out. Sam moved into the vocational education department as the auto shop teacher. Two years later he became the crafts teacher, where his curriculum included units in leather, lapidary, and plastics. When his children were attending Upland High School, Sam designed and constructed the first fiberglass letter shields for the Highlander Marching Band. They were used as the identification unit in parades, and were so light the shield carriers could perform precision routines while marching. That set of shields lasted well beyond his children's high school careers, and were copied by many other marching bands across Southern California.
In the process of earning a Masters Degree in Industrial Arts from the California State University, Los Angeles, he traveled to the Hopi Indian Reservation in Arizona to study the methods of the native silversmiths. He made many jewelry pieces, casting settings, cutting and polishing stones. For several years from the early 70's on, Sam was the chairman of the Vocational Education Department at Chaffey. Among his other duties, he was responsible for supervising the Regional Occupation Program (ROP) on campus. In this program, students designed and built a home to be sold on the real estate market. Students were involved in every aspect of design and construction, including carpentry, plumbing, electricity, painting and landscaping. Sam retired from public education in 1981. He and Marian had always been active in church affairs, and in retirement he started a weekly men's Bible study breakfast. He cooked breakfast for the study group until 2005. He and Marian traveled extensively in their Chevrolet Blazer and Airstream trailer, including trips to Maine to see Susan and her family. They visited Nova Scotia, where Sam's mother was born and cousins still live.
In declining health over the last year of his life, Sam took pleasure in family gatherings which included all of his surviving family members: his wife Marian; his brother Harry Martin Pond, Jr. and his daughter Debi; his son Dennis and wife Frances, their children Sam (his wife Crissy and daughter Emma); and Marian (her husband Steve and their children Joanna, Sarah and Michael); and his daughter Susan and her husband John, their children Aimee (her husband Cory and daughter Chloe); Logan; and niece Deborah Cornel (and her husband, Gary). A memorial service celebrating Sam's life will be held Saturday, June 21, 2012, at 2 pm, in the First Presbyterian Church, 869 N. Euclid Avenue, Upland.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Archive or Memorial Funds.