Lakeland University Athletic Hall of Fame member Samuel Graber '64 died on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, in Rochelle, Ill. He was 82.
 
Sam earned eight varsity letters at Lakeland in basketball, cross country and baseball. He was captain of the basketball team as a senior and named Lakeland's top athlete as a junior. He was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980.
 
He was an avid Lakeland fan, often calling coaches to get program updates, and he visited with the team in the locker room following their game at Rockford College.
 
Sam grew up in Mineral Point, Wis., alongside his lifelong friend, Tom Speich, and they attended Lakeland together. While at Lakeland, he met the former Sandi Dalton '66 and they married in 1965.
 
A native of Mineral Point, Wis., Sam and Sandi settled in Rochelle, Ill. He owned Graber Financial Group and was a former Rochelle Township High School history teacher and assistant basketball coach, serving the community for 55 years before retiring.
 
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