by Jack McGee and Rance Burger, Springfield Daily Citizen, Aug. 3, 2024 (posted here with permission)Sam Hamra, a man whose name and life’s work is reflected across the Springfield metropolitan area, has died.
[Hamra was the first president of Springfield Southeast Rotary Club in 1967 - '68 and maintained his membership until he died. This photo shows Sam at a Rotary Club meeting in 2023.
"He will be greatly missed. His impact on our club and our community is hard to overstate," said Club President Dave Compere in an email message. "The programs committee, along with a few members close to Sam, are working on a plan to honor Sam in a program (on Aug. 8). Please keep the Hamra family in your thoughts and prayers."]Hamra was born on Jan. 21, 1932 and died on Aug. 2, 2024. Sam and his wife, June, had four children: Sam III, Karen, Mike and Jackie. Sam Hamra III died June 2, 2024.
Hamra was an attorney and is the founder of Hamra Enterprises. The Springfield-based company owns and operates nearly 200 Wendy’s, Panera Bread and Noodles and Company restaurants around the country. It also operates two hotels and has developed real estate projects in Missouri, Illinois, Massachusetts and Texas.
Hamra Enterprises started in 1975 and opened its first Wendy’s restaurant in Springfield in 1976. According to the company’s website, it is on West Sunshine Street and still operates today. Mike Hamra became the company president and chief operating officer in 2005, and was later named CEO.
“I was so grateful to have him as my father,” Mike Hamra said in a statement on X. “He loved his family deeply and appreciated any time that he could spend in enjoying life with them. He loved Southwest Missouri and worked to contribute back to the Springfield area, which he and my mom have called home for over 65 years. We will miss him dearly but are grateful for the special and loving relationship of 67 years he had with our mother, and that they were blessed with four children and ten grandchildren.”
According to a biographical news release published in 2018, Hamra was the son of a Lebanese immigrant. He was born and grew up in Steele, Mo., graduated from Gulf Coast Military Academy, and earned degrees from the University of Missouri in business (1954) and law (1959). Hamra served as an officer in the U.S. Army 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Germany and Ft. Meade, Md., in the 1950s.
Hamra’s awards and accolades include his receipt of the Missourian Award (2001), the University of Missouri Distinguished Service Award (2003), and the University of Missouri Law School Citation of Merit Award, the highest alumni award bestowed by the law school (2003). He received the Wendy’s Outstanding Franchisee of the Year Award in 2009.
Hamra won the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Springfieldian of The Year” award on January 26, 2018. It's the Chamber of Commerce’s most prestigious annual award. Hamra won “for his outstanding community service, excellence in his field and his long-time dedication to improve the quality of life for Springfield and its citizens.”
In 2022, Springfield Mayor Ken McClure awarded Hamra the ‘Key to the City’ for his impact on the Springfield community.
In addition to building his own law practice, Hamra also worked as the city attorney for Nixa and governmental relations attorney in Branson, where he played a pivotal role in securing funding for the widening of U.S. 65 from Branson to Christian County.
Matt Morrow, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said “there are 100 or 1,000 little things like that, that most people don’t even know that he just sort of made happen.”
“Sam was just an incredible advocate for our community and for everything that’s good about it,” Morrow said. “A very generous, giving, selfless person. He was incredibly supportive of me and the Chamber and of the whole community…our community and region wouldn’t be what it is today without Sam Hamra.”
Jim Anderson, Morrow’s predecessor at the Chamber, fondly recalled how Hamra “loved having his picture taken with whomever,” and always knew how to work a crowd.
“Whether you were the governor of the state or a member of Congress or any person that he would come in contact with, I mean he was the same,” Anderson said. “He was genuine, he was authentic, he never met a stranger. Absolutely a people person.”
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure said Hamra was one of the first to encourage him to run for mayor and frequently offered him “sage advice.” Reminiscing on a recent visit with Hamra, McClure said he “went as far as the White House” during former President Lyndon Johnson’s administration and always enjoyed passing out free Wendy’s Frosty desserts.
“I will miss him,” McClure said. “He’s been quite the builder in our community.”
Hamra was the first board chairman of Legal Services of Southern Missouri, a nonprofit corporation that provides legal aid and advice to low-income and senior citizens. The organization’s building at 809 N. Campbell Ave. was dedicated as the ‘Sam F. Hamra Center for Justice’ in 2012.
He also served as the charter president of the Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast, a founding member of OakStar Bank and on the Foundation Board for Ozarks Technical Community College.
