Hall of Fame > George Sammeth

George Sammeth (#4013)

George C. Sammeth, Jr. was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1952. An educator for five years, he became an air traffic controller for the F.A.A. in 1983. He began collecting in 1976, but did not discover ALPCA until 1983. He served as Vice President from 1998-2000. In his campaign statement, he said "I collect license plates. For me, this includes buying, selling, trading, reconditioning, preserving, and displaying them. I am a student of their history, and a research writer of information concerning vehicle registration."

He co-authored along with Tom Boyd the award winning book COLORADO LICENSE PLATES: Facts, Figures and Folklore in 1991. Previously he wrote a small booklet Colorado License Plates, a brief history in the mid 1980s. He has been the editor of The Mountain Outline since December 1988. George wrote the feature piece "Colorful Colorado" for the June 1993 ALPCA newsletter.

It has been said that the best way to know someone is to ask his friends.

Jim Gummoe #6467:

"George has attended every National convention since 1984 and has acted as auctioneer many times at nationals and regional meets. He is a tireless volunteer, auctioneer and mentor and in many ways he should be considered the glue that holds the Rocky Mountain Region together."

Mark Jervis #3099:

"I have known George since 1990 when I attended my first Rocky Mountain meet. George kindly suggested that I be his guest as he had a spare room which was the first of many stays in the Sammeth home. I was sure this practice would end when he married Jean, but no, their home was still open to me. His interest has always been in promoting the hobby, sharing and exchanging information about plates. George exemplifies the type of person that belongs in our Hall of Fame."

Eric Tanner #3148:

"George's research and editing are of the highest quality and he has selflessly shared his knowledge and publishing skills with any member needing assistance. He has always had such an infectious enthusiasm for not only collecting items but fully researching the history behind them. His inquisitive nature is equally detailed for every hobby or profession he has pursued, whether it be collecting highway maps, traveling to counties with the Extra Milers, juggling, playing guitar, serving as an air traffic controller in the tower at Jeffco Airport, educating DQ corporate about the history of the very first Dairy Queen in Arkansas, or writing travelogues for his friends of trips he has taken with his wife, Jean. In recent years the complications of Parkinson's Disease have robbed him of the physical ability to pursue many of his favorite activities. They have not, however, slowed him down one bit where his contributions to ALPCA are concerned."

Rich Dragon #2658:

"If the Hall of Fame does indeed exist to honor those among us who have dedicated themselves to helping new members, promoting the hobby and sharing knowledge, and if its members exemplify the spirit of the hobby and have a history of unselfish acts, then I can think of no member not yet honored in this fashion who is more deserving than George."

George Sammeth, welcome to the ALPCA Hall of Fame.