Samuel Dean OLSON

   Cause of his death was melanoma.

   Other names for Samuel were Dean OLSON and S. Dean OLSON.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Obituary, 1999. IN MEMORIAM: DEAN OLSON
Family Loses Creator of Olson Chronicles

Many in our extended family are already aware of the loss of our brother, Dean Olson to melanoma cancer last October. Some, however, may not have heard the tragic news.

As you know, Dean was the creator of the Olson Chronicles, which was probably the most important factor in the success of our 1997 Family Reunion at Port Ludlow. Without the Olson Chronicles to generate interest in the reunion, we would not have had the outstanding attendance we experienced. Subsequent to the reunion, he maintained our extended family contact with the Chronicles.

For many years, Dean was editor of the William and Mary Magazine and subsequently named Director of Publications for the College. During his final illness, Anita, Miriam, Don and Joe spent a great deal of time with him in Williamsburg. We were overwhelmed by the number of dedicated friends he had at William & Mary College. One friend and colleague, Sara Piccini, wrote an outstanding article :"In Memoriam: Dean Olson" in the Spring, 2000 issue of the William & Mary Magazine. We are including it in this first issue of the "Reborn Chronicles" as a tribute to his life of dedication to others. Because of his humble nature, we were unaware of many of the honors he achieved during his lifetime. Sara mentions some of them.

We wish to express our grateful thanks to Sara Pinccini for her outstanding article and to the William & Mary College Society of the Alumni for permission to publish this article in our Olson Chronicles.

Miriam Olson
Joe Olson
Anita Cook
Don Olson

William & Mary Alumni Magazine - Spring 2000

After more than 25 years, a name is absent from the masthead of this magazine - that of Samuel Dean Olson, editor emeritus and director of publications for the College. Dean passed away on Oct. 22, 1999, following a courageous battle with cancer. In her eulogy, Vice President for Public Affairs Stewart Gamage '72 said of Dean, "He was a man of iron with a heart of gold who loved life - and his family - and who cared deeply about this place - William and Mary - as very few have or ever will." The Alumni Society Board of Directors has created a lasting tribute to his career, directing that a memorial plaque be placed in the Society's Office of Alumni Communications. Hired as news director at William and Mary in 1967, Dean was soon named assistant to President Davis Y. Paschall '32, M.A. '37 and continued to serve in that role for President Thomas Graves Jr. Dr. Paschall has called him "my 'second self'" as conservator of the College's heritage and traditions. In 1974, Dean was named director of publications. The Society also appointed him editor of the Alumni Gazette and William & Mary Magazine. During the next quarter-century, he won almost every regional and national award presented by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. He developed and edited a range of publications for the College's Tercentenary celebration and was instrumental in the production of numerous books about the College, including Hark Upon the Gale, Traditions, Myths and Memories, Goal to Goal: 100 Seasons of Football at William and Mary and The College of William and Mary: A History, a scholarly history of the College's first 300 years. As devoted to the Williamsburg community as he was to the College, Dean served as past president of the Williamsburg Kiwanis and as a board member for the Hospice of Williamsburg. (Few escaped his office without buying a sack of peanuts or Shrimp Feast tickets to benefit the Kiwanis' charitable causes.) Possessed of a sharp wit and blunt manner, Dean set high standards for himself and others. "For so many of us he was our mentor, our tormentor, our conscience, often our critic - and always our friend," said James Kelly '51, assistant to the president. At commencement in May 1999, Dean received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for service to the College, calling it "the greatest honor I have received in my life." The award citation aptly summed up his contributions: "To thousands of students, potential students, alumni, friends and donors, Dean has been the unseen voice of William and Mary, shaping their impressions of the College and always reflecting his deep affection for its legacy and for its future." - Sara Piccini

• Obituary, 1999. DIED: S. Dean Olson on October 22, 1999 at Williamsburg, VA. (picture) Dean was born May 7, 1938 at Malo, WA. He is survived by his wife, Annelise in Williamsburg, VA, his son Poul in Atlanta, GA, sisters Miriam Lee and Anita Cook, and brothers Don Olson and Joe Olson.

Samuel married Living