October 15, 1916 – October 2, 2010
Chester James “Chet” Sampson of Los Angeles was born in Hubbell and attended Michigan Tech before transferring to the University of Michigan. During World War II he produced variety shows in the U.S. Navy. He later taught high school in Grosse Pointe before opening his own travel agency. In 1965, he founded ONE in Detroit, only the second formal homosexual organization in Michigan.
Grosse Pointe News, November 4, 2010
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 
Chet Sampson also did tours for high school students in the 1960s using college students as drivers of at least five station wagons. The one I took began in Detroit and had some great stops, but not the first one, somewhere in Nebraska, where everyone bedded down in sleeping bags next to an alfalfa processing plant. Later stops at the Grand Teton National Park, Pikes Peak, and Mount Rushmore were decided improvements. We stopped at Debby Reynolds home in Hollywood and she came out to the front lawn to greet us. For me the most intriguing moment was sitting in a poolside chair at our motel and chatting with Tony Perkins not long after he had starred in Psycho.
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Dear Mr. Brown-
I went on the Chet Sampson Western Tour July 30-Sept. 2, 1960 with 15 girls and five other boys. The trip was wonderful and the hikes in national parks directly led to my lifelong pursuit of mountaineering. In Hollywood we met Bette Davis and Elvis Presley. I still have color slides of the trip and a signed black and white photo of the 9 college student drivers/leaders in 1960.
Do you know anyone who went on the 1960 Chet Sampson western tour? Please put me in touch with them if possible.
Thanks,
Charles Bailey
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Chuck, Sandy here. I traveled on several of Chet’s trips.
Washington DC; Washington-NY; Western Trip. The yr’s were ’54; ’55; ’56.
All fun adventures.
Chet has passed however, here is the last known address: Chet Sampson 1650 Marmont Ave. Hollywood, CA 90069-1514. Chet had videos of certain trips, which you may order. Wheatear they are held in estate I don’t know. You may contact me @: hotpenguin1@aol.com
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