June 17—Sam Bennett, former assistant vice president director of Hospitality Services at Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, passed away unexpectedly last week. He was 59.
Bennett had resigned from his position at Texas Tech earlier this year. During his time at Texas Tech, Bennett developed a comprehensive retail-focused program, including his hybrid c-store concept, Sam's Place [Read more about Sam's Place here]. His program was honored by NACUFS many times during his 38 years at the university, including Bennett's own Richard Lichtenfeld Award in 1995. He also served as NACUFS president in 2009-2010.