He was also a board member of the Titusville and Corry Area Chambers of Commerce. Outside of the newspapers and electric cooperative, Mike belonged to multiple civic groups and was honored as a Paul Harris Rotarian Fellow by the Titusville Rotary Club in 2016. He was a big supporter of the Member to Member program, a charity that helps financially struggling members keep their electric bills paid. Mike recognized the value of broadband internet connectivity and encouraged the cooperative to explore ways of bringing this important utility to its members. He was a dedicated and valued board member, serving as secretary for six of those years. These traits were also well known in Mike’s seven years as a member of the board of directors for Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative. Those who knew Mike will remember his incredible work ethic and the kindness and professionalism he extended to everyone he encountered. He was known for waiting on customers in the front office, answering phone calls and personally delivering missed papers to local subscribers. He would sell ads, lay out pages and review stories.
As publisher, Mike oversaw all aspects of both newspapers. Later in 2008 he purchased The Forest Press weekly newspaper in Tionesta. Mike was the publisher of The Herald for the better part of 30 years, leaving in 2000 to work at The Corry Journal and returning again in 2005 after purchasing The Herald. Mike often joked about the events of their drive back north, including having to drive through blizzard-like conditions that October and running into the annual Meadville Halloween parade. But when Mike received the offer to become publisher of The Titusville Herald, the two were happy to pack up their Jeep Grand Cherokee and a U-Haul truck to return to northwestern Pennsylvania for good. Both Mike and his then-fiancée and later wife Debra (Burkhart) Sample, also of Corry, enjoyed living in the south. In 1993, he left Corry to become the production manager of The Crimson White, the University of Alabama student newspaper. After college Mike joined his father at The Corry Journal to learn the newspaper trade. He graduated from Corry Area High School in 1985 and went on to receive his bachelor’s from Penn State Behrend in 1989. 19, 1966 in Corry, Mike was the son of the late Janet (Neff) and George R. Mike was the longtime owner and publisher of The Titusville Herald and The Forest Press newspapers. 3, 2022 at UPMC Hamot following a brief illness. Sample Michael Dana Sample, 55, of Corry, passed away Monday, Jan.
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