(The following is a letter sent out by the department after Dr. Kozak's death the summer of  July, 1997)

July 16, 1997

We are writing to inform you of the sudden and untimely death of our friend and colleague, Sam Kozak, on Wedensday, July 2, 1997. Sam collapsed and pased away very suddenly at the age of 66. A Memorial Service was held in a "packed to the walls" Lee Chapel on Saturday morning, July 5 with eloquent eulogies delivered by Harland Beckley of the Department of Religion, Ken Ruscio of the Williams School of Commerce, Barry Machado of the Department of History, and the Dean of Admissions Bill Hartog. Participants included a substantial portion of the university community, friends and associates from the City of Lexington, and a number of alumni and alumnae, and out-of-town friends and family.

You know quite well how important Sam was to our Department and to Washington and Lee University. While still a M.S. student at Brown, Sam joined the faculty temporarily in 1958 for a term to help Ed Spencer. He then continued on for a PhD. at Iowa before returning to Washington and Lee as a full time faculty member in 1961. While his interests and enthusiasm for geology shifted over the years, his energy and dedication to teaching and his affection for and interest in students and their well being was never less than superb.

The week of his death, consistent with his entire professional life, Sam was happy bristling energy, as he, along with his summer Keck project students, awaited the Pathfinder landing.

The loss of Sam will obviously have a large impact on our program, much as it has immensely impacted our morale. For the short term, we have already launched an immediate search for a one year replacement for Sam to minimize the negative impact of his absence on currently enrolled students. During the course of the 1997-98 year we will carefully examine how to best prepare the Department for the next millenium in a manner that maintains the high qualities so well defined by Sam Kozak.

Sincerely,

Fred Schwab, Ed Spencer, David Harbor,
Marty Gilmore, Bob Thren & Deborah Hubbard