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1937

Michael (Mike) Robertson Sampson was born on July 17, 1941, in Bognor Regis in Sussex, England and attended Preparatory Schools in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and Guildford, Surrey. When he was eleven his family moved to Vancouver and then in the fall of 1953 they moved to Victoria. He attended Oak Bay Junior and Senior High schools and graduated in 1959. He spent three years at the University of Victoria in Arts and Sciences.

During the summer of 1960 he worked for the Ministry of Lands and Forests doing Forestry Inventory Sampling in the Kamloops/Revelstoke areas. Again during the summers (May to September) from 1961 to 1964 he worked with several legal survey crews establishing Highway Right-of-Way on Highway 16 from Vanderhoof to New Hazelton. He enjoyed leading his crew both as Head Chainman and Instrumentman. In 1964 he worked as an Instrumentman for a private Legal Surveyor on subdivisions in the Gulf Islands and around Victoria. From 1965 to 1968 his employment changed to valuation of land and improvements as the Deputy Assessor/Appraiser for Property Tax purposes in the North Cowichan and Saanich Municipal Districts.

In December 1968, he gained employment with the Ministry of Transportation and Highways as a Senior Property Negotiator for Highway Right-of-Way purposes. His first assignment was to negotiate the lands required for the Knight Street Bridge in Vancouver. In November 1973 he moved back to Victoria and worked for the Ministry of Public Works as a Senior Property/Lease Negotiator and helped establish a new real estate property services division. In November 1977, at the start up of British Columbia Buildings Corporation, Mike was re-assigned as a Senior Real Estate Analyst and Property Negotiator in the new Corporate Property Services Division. Mike took early retirement in July 1996.

Mike met Sharon Harshaw in 1974. She was a member of the Outdoor Club of Victoria, The Canoe Club, Island Mountain Ramblers as well as a committee member for the Vancouver Island section of the Alpine Club of Canada. In 1975, Mike joined the ACC and together they went on many trips into the mountains with experienced leaders such as Syd Watts, Roger Neave, Gil Parker, Dave Tansley and John Gibson. This was a big year for Mike beginning with an ACC winter ski camp in the Mount Assiniboine area in late March, ski trip to Mount Garibaldi, Mount Whymper, Mount Baker in July, and finally in the fall the ACC trip to Nepal, climbing in the Annapurna Sanctuary and the Himalchuli area. After the trip Mike and Sharon spent some time traveling around in India and Sri Lanka.

The next year Mike took over the role as the editor for the Island Bushwhacker and attended the ACC Skoki ski camp, climbed Mount Klitsa, Mount Albert Edward and the Comox Glacier. In 1977 Mike and Sharon attended the ACC Mount Robson ski camp and started making home movies of some of their trips and over the Canada Day weekend they climbed Mount Rainer with Gil Parker. Mike and Sharon were married in February 1978 and have two sons. Their last ACC ski camp was to the Kokanee Glacier in 1980. Mike took over the chairmanship of the Vancouver Island section of the ACC and held the position for two years: 1979-1980. Gil Parker suggested the role as he believed Mike had the administrative and practical knowledge to lead the club and Mike enjoyed the good camaraderie and tutelage from his peers. During his tenure Mike spent countless hours devoted to researching and encouraging the Mount Washington Hut proposal, although all the while fully prepared to accept the possibility that this particular project may prove beyond the resources of the section. At the end of his time it was said: "Mike Sampson was a 'prime mover' in the Section. In spite of many other commitments Mike has succeeded in managing the needs and ambitions of the Section with a fine sense of perspective on our relationship with the main club."

By the early 1980's Mike was changing his focus and began involving himself more with boating activities with the Oak Bay Power and Sail Squadron. An interest in physical wellness led both Mike and Sharon to start up a home-based business in health and wellness. Table tennis has been a passion of Mike's from high school days and he has participated in the BC Senior Games for a number of years now winning several Gold and Silver medals in his age group. More recently, Mike has also taken up Qi-gong, a form of Tai Chi but less complicated. This has helped to give him the flexibility to improve his table tennis skills as well as enhance his life. Mike and Sharon have traveled in the US, Hawaii, Alaska, the Mediterranean and England, and extensively in British Columbia. They both still love to downhill ski especially at Mount Washington near Courtenay.

Sources:
Sampson, Mike. Personal communication. 2008.

Tansley, Dave. "Mount Garibaldi." The Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section newsletter. (June 1975) Vol. 3:2. p. 3.

Simpson, John. "YMCA - Alpine Club Trip to Mt. Baker." The Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section newsletter. (August 1975) Vol. 3:3. p. 3.

Eppler, Rick. "Mount Klitsa." The Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section. (September 1976) Vol. 4:3. p. 3.

Sampson, Mike. "Mount Albert Edward." The Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section. (September 1976) Vol. 4:3. p. 4.

Syroid, Cliff. "Comox Glacier (Red Pillar)." The Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section newsletter. (November 1976) Vol. 4:4. p. 7.

Wylie, Doug. "Mt. Rainer." Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section newsletter. (August 1977) Vol. 5:5. p. 3.

Parker, Gil. "Landalt in Winter." Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section newsletter. (May/June 1980) Vol. 8:3. p. 10.

Sampson, Mike. "Kokanee Ski Camp." Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section newsletter. (May/June 1980) Vol. 8:3. p. 10-11.

Parker, Gil. "Cream Lake & Mt. Myra." Island Bushwhacker. The Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island section newsletter. (May/June 1980) Vol. 8:3. p. 11.

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