My Eulogy

     Samuel Howard Thompson was born at 7:30 a.m on November 11, 1992 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the second of two children bore that day to Hubert Thompson and Kennise Herring, and the youngest of their three. His older brother, Franklin, would serve as his role model for all of his athletic endeavors, and his twin sister, Vicky, would be his best friend until the day that he passed away.

     Sam began school at the age of three at the Ancona School; a small Montessori based school in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. From an early age, Sam was a standout athlete. He followed in his brother's footsteps, first in soccer, then in basketball. Sam excelled in school, as well as on the athletic field. At an early age, Sam showed an aptitude for mathematics. After the fourth grade, Sam quit playing soccer entirely when his older brother decided to make the jump to play basketball exclusively. While Ancona had historically been a poor basketball school because of its small size, that changed in Sam's last two years there. In his seventh grade year, with his best friend Ahmad Starks as point guard, Ancona had it's first perfect basketball season in the school's history. In his eighth grade year, Sam, along with his twin sister playing with him on the boys team, would accomplish that feat for a second time.

     Sam, along with his sister, followed in their older brother's footsteps by attending Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. Sam's athletic ability continued to be showcased throughout his high school career. Sam was a starter as a sophomore on the state championship basketball team; the second boys basketball title in Whitney Young's history. Sam would continue his stellar athletic career throughout high school. Sam was survived by his siblings and his parents. He will be greatly missed by a host of family and friend.