Sam Lum, 48, Garden Grove High Teacher, Dies
Sam Lum, a mathematics teacher at Garden Grove High School for the past 21 years, died of a heart attack at his Garden Grove home Thursday afternoon. He was 48.
A memorial service will be held at 2:45 p.m. Monday at the First United Methodist Church in Garden Grove.
“He was probably the most popular teacher at Garden Grove High,” said Patricia Haggerty, chairwoman of the school’s math department. “Many of our students called him ‘Uncle Sam.’ ”
In addition to his teaching duties, Lum had served over the years as a coach for various Garden Grove High athletic teams, including freshman football and girl’s basketball. “He once even coached our water polo (team), though he couldn’t swim,” Haggerty recalled.
Lum played varsity baseball at the University of Arkansas, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was a native of St. Louis, but grew up in Blytheville, Ark. He came to Garden Grove in 1964.
He is survived by four brothers, two sisters and his mother. Funeral and burial arrangements are pending, relatives said Friday.
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