2020 Annual Awards Banquet

Sampson was born in Tennessee and reared in Kentucky. He has been employed by Blythe Construction for the last thirty-seven years. His work experience has encompassed roadway projects ranging from $l million dollars to $450 million dollars including private jobs such as airports, golf courses, and subdivision work-his area of expertise is in design-build heavy highway projects.
 

Sampson served as the General Superintendent on the $220 million dollar design-build highway project widening I85 North, in Concord, NC before coming to Gaffney, SC to assist the team in leading the $450 million dollar, 21 mile design-build highway project.
 

As a hobby Sampson Parker loves to farm. He grows corn, which is sold to local deer hunters. On his farm, in a field in 2007, Sampson's life changed forever while repairing a corn picker... alone! Trapped in a burning piece of farm equipment, Sampson Parker cut off his arm with a pocket knife in order to save his life.
 

With his hand and arm pulled deep into a mechanical corn picker, Sampson struggled against the machine for two hours, trying to free his arm. When his efforts to stop the chain drive which kept forcing his hand and arm deeper into the machine resulted in a fire, Sampson made the only choice available.
 

Exhausted and crying out to God for strength, he had to sever his arm with his pocket knife or burn to death.
 

Sampson and his wife, Lee Ann, have three children and three grandsons. He currently resides in Belmont, North Carolina and farms their 100 acres in Midland, North Carolina.