In Memoriam: Sam L. Archer, Tissue Leader

Sammy Lee "Sam" Archer was born Jan. 3, 1950. He attended the University of Washington after graduating high school in 1968. By 1975, he received his masters degree in forest resources, specializing in pulp and paper technology.

 

Sam began his career in the industry in 1995 with Scott Paper Co. in Everett, Wash., USA. In 1996 he became an employee of Kimberly-Clarke when the company purchased Scott. In 1998 he joined Calgon, which became Nalco in 1999 when the two companies merged. In total, Archer spent more than 21 years with Scott / Kimberly-Clarke and 16-plus years with Nalco. A product developer for Kimberly-Clarke, he held the position of principal consultant at Nalco.

 

Sam was unique in that he had multifaceted talents in the industry. This helped solidify his reputation as a renowned and trusted adviser, developer, consultant, researcher, author, and inventor. Sam had 14 U.S. patents published in his name at the time of his passing.

 

After becoming an official TAPPI member in 2009, Sam quickly built a positive name for himself in the association. Having already presented for TAPPI at two tissue courses in 2005 and 2006, he was quick to become a leader and/or a signature member in five of the Tissue Division committees. He was chair of two: the Dryer Surface Reliability Subcommittee and the Yankee Surface Reliability Subcommittee, which had 74 members when he passed away. This was a testament to his influence on peers and the tissue industry. 

Sam enjoyed family life at his beautiful home in Lynnwood, Wash. with his wife Michelle and their two daughters, Leslie and Sasha. In addition to his wife and daughters, Sam is survived by a granddaughter, Lily (Sasha and son-in-law Dennis). A private "celebration of life" memorial service will be held by his family later this summer.