My Obituary

Samuel Harrison Plummer, age 28, died Friday evening in his wife’s arms after an accident placed him in the hospital earlier that day. Born November 20, 1979 in Minneapolis, MN to Thomas and Louise Plummer. Sam later moved with his family to Provo, UT where he completed grade school. Sam graduated a West High School Panther in Salt Lake City. Sam completed a Bachelor of Science at Brigham Young University and worked loyally for American Express. Sam will be remembered for his dry humor and his sideburns. He will be remembered for his ability to teach others in the community, and to engage them in discussions about good religious practices. Sam was well known for his sensitivity to others and was always willing to listen to anyone that stopped him. This was demonstrated when he dedicated ten hours a week for nine months to a local hospice where he visited those at the end of their life. Sam will be remembered for spoiling his wife and children. For his love for Diet Coke, French fries and steak. Sam loved the social scene, as an extrovert, always made friends and was known to frequently run into acquaintances everywhere he and his wife went. The world will suffer the loss of his contributions because of his expertise in the development of people in their careers. Sam was able to influence many in his career and in the community with his interests in them and their interest in personal growth. Sam always wanted to travel to the Philippines and share his expertise in career and community development to better the economic environment around them. Sam was a member of the American Society of Training and Development, the Starwood Preferred Guests, and the BYU Fan Club. Sam is survived by his parents, Thomas and Louise Plummer, his wife Sarah (Kamerath), his two sons, Elliot Thomas and Simon Louis, his brothers Jonathan (Julie), Edmund (Dede), Charles (Erica), and his 8 nephews and nieces. Preceded in death by his angel and daughter Lucy Gladys. In lieu of flowers please send your donations to Primary Children’s Medical Center, Sam's choice of charities.

MED 670- Values in Education

What I love most about the world is…
Everywhere I go I have met good people. Having been raised in a sheltered state, I’m lucky I have had the opportunity to travel an have wonderful parents who taught race, religion, gender, professions, status and are not important to making friends, and shouldn’t determine the way we treat people. One experience that sticks out in my mind takes place in New York City. I was there with my parents as a teenager and agreed to meet them after several hours of shopping. Probably walking from the Nike outlet to FAO Schwartz I heard a comment behind me.

“I’ll give you five bucks if you see someone with smile on their face in this city.”

I couldn’t help but turn around and laugh at the challenge. I saw two gruff looking construction workers in battered clothing. We made eye contact and the other said… “There, that guy!” pointing to me. They laughed and the challenger said I didn’t count because I overheard the conversation.

There is always an opportunity to enjoy the moment and I’ve often found strangers to enjoy it with.

The world would be a better place if…

Everyone in the world understood responsibility and attitude. I believe people can improve their life by understanding and acting upon these two principles.

The fifth definition I found for responsibility stated: reliability and dependability. (dictionary.com) If everyone on earth was reliable and dependable I feel it would change the way we look at life then leading to attitude. When I refer to attitude, I don’t mean we have to be chipper all the time. There is a place and time for everything, however when we portray an overall positive attitude in our lives it changes the relationships we have with others and will also lead to caring for our obligations. It’s almost a cyclical pattern.

What I would like to maintain about the world through my work as an educator is…

Though some parts of the world may not have it, I would like to continue using the tools that are available to us for learning. Preparing meetings and different developmental sessions with some of these tools will help others see the importance of the resources around us.

What I would like to change about the world through my work as an educator is…
I would like to improve upon the importance of education critical thinking in the workplace. Too often people come to a meeting afraid of the results, or afraid if something bad will happen. They may also have fears about bringing up an issue because it may cause “trouble.” I will continue to teach and share my views, give feedback that is necessary for improvement and be honest with everyone from direct reports to upper management, so they understand the perceptions and challenges faced. I will continue to challenge the status quo. All for improvement. I will know I have done well when those I work with seek education in any circumstance.
“What is _____?” with the response of “I’m not sure, let’s look it up?”
“What went well during that session? What could we improve on?”
“What are some of the issues we are facing right now?”
“Why are we doing this process?”
“Is there anything that would better improve our results?”
“How will this impact what we’re doing now, or our future?”
“Who’s involved?”


I want my students to …

• Be aware
• Challenge the status quo
• Think critically
• Act on what they’ve learned
• Be prepared
• Pursue knowledge
• Share best practices
• Be responsible
• Have a great attitude