Sam H. Boehms, St. Louis

Sam Boehms grew up on a small farm near Whites Creek, Tenn., where he was born Aug. 14, 1923.

Dairying came naturally to Sam. His grandfather bought and tested cream at his general store in the 1920s and his father hauled bulk milk to town and later drove a milk route.

After finishing high school in 1940 he worked in an entry level position at the National Dairy bottling plant in Nashville.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II and was in the 100th Infantry Division. Sam was seriously wounded and was awarded a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and a presidential citation before being honorably discharged in 1946.

After the war Sam attended the University of Tennessee on his G.l. Bill of Rights and also worked full time as a production manager at a Knoxville bottling plant during the period from 1946 to 1950.

After graduating from the University in 1950 with a degree in animal science, Sam became production manager of the Nashville bottling plant. In 1955 he was general manager of a bottling plant at Shelbyville, Tenn., where he was in charge of sales, procurement, production, distribution, and accounting.

In 1958 the Boehms moved to St. Louis where Sam was assistant manager for Sealtest Dairies which handled a million pounds of milk daily. In 1965 he became general manager and was responsible for a work force of 300 and sales, procurement, production, distribution, and accounting.

Then, in 1976 Sam became operations manager for five Kraft operations including two ice cream plants, two fluid milk plants, and a cold storage facility with a capacity of 17 million pounds.

Sam became secretary-treasurer of the Missouri Dairy Products Association in 1985 and continues to serve in that position. He also served as vice president of the St. Louis Dairy Council.

Sam met his wife Nell Eldridge while both were working in the Knoxville bottling plant. They were married in 1948 and will celebrate 50 years of marriage in June.

The Boehms have four sons who grew up in Webster Groves and all attended the University of Missouri. Stephen, David, and Mark are in the construction business in Columbia, Kansas City, Kans., and St. Louis respectively and Chris teaches building trades at the Career and Technology Center at Fort Osage.

Despite the rigorous responsibilities of his job and family, Sam has always been active in his community. He belongs to the Webster Groves Kiwanis, Masonic Order, and is active member of Friendship Force and is a former member of Experiment for International Living.

Sam and Nell are active participants in Elderhostel events and are avid travelers and have visited Russia, Romania, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Morocco and other African countries to name a few stops they have made.

Son Steve sums up his father’s dedication to the dairy industry when he says “if you cut my Dad on the arm I believe he would bleed whole milk.”