<p>Tennessee has lost a favorite son, Nashville has lost a pillar of the community, the family has lost a loving husband, father and grandfather, the Long Gray Line has lost one of its finest, Christianity has lost a stalwart soldier, many have lost a friend, but we are all better off for having lived, loved and shared in the life of <em>Samuel Wilson “Sam” Bartholomew Jr.</em> <br />Sam was the eldest son of Charlene Oakes Bartholomew and S.W. Bartholomew Sr. He and his siblings grew up in Kingsport, TN. Sam was a good student and gifted athlete on the gridiron, which landed him an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, where he continued to excel both on and off the gridiron. He graduated as a cadet captain and battalion commander.<br />Sam was commissioned in the Armor Corps and saw duty in both Europe and South Vietnam, where he served with the 101st Airborne Armored Calvary Division. His military awards include the Bronze Star for valor, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal, among others.<br />Frustrated by our country’s lack of support for returning soldiers and the war’s management from Washington, Sam decided to get a law degree and become active politically. He received the Patrick Wilson Scholarship to Vanderbilt Law School, where he excelled as a member of the Law Review and Order of the Coif. While in Law school, he worked during a summer in the office of Senator Howard Baker and the next year managed Senator Baker’s statewide Senate campaign. He also worked in the Reagan campaign. He chaired the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program in Tennessee. That group was responsible for the Vietnam memorials in our nation’s capital and in Nashville on the War Memorial Plaza. This earned Sam the governor’s Outstanding Tennessean Award in 1984. He was always a military man and later in 2006 chaired a “Wounded Warriors” fundraiser for soldiers injured in Iraq. In 2015, the Wings of Liberty Museum, honoring the 101st Airborne Division, honored Sam with the Liberty Patriot Award.<br />Sam founded the Nashville law firm of Stokes and Bartholomew, which today has merged with Adams and Reese. He was inducted to the American Bar Association and was recognized as a force in the legal field in Nashville. One of the young attorneys who practiced with him remembers him as “one of the largest, most dynamic personalities I have ever known.” He was a gifted mentor and team builder. He was for many years the attorney for the Nashville Airport and became respected for his knowledge of aviation law. He is a past chairman of the Legal Committee of Airports Counsel International. He was selected as a member of “Best of the Bar” in 2005 and was a member of “Super Lawyers” in 2006.<br />His outstanding business career included stints on the boards of CCA, Fannie Mae, Third National Bank, Union Planters and Regions Financial. Throughout his career, Sam was an active member of Nashville community civic organizations: YMCA, Rotary, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army, St. Thomas Hospital, Growth Enterprises and Incubation Center, and others. Many remember Sam for his conservative, folksy column “Taking Issue” in the Tennessean during the late 1990s. His fingerprints are everywhere in a city that was growing with potential.<br />Sam was a sports fan extraordinaire. He and Vicki attended hundreds of games watching their sons play football at the University of Tennessee and Davidson and their son-in-law play professional baseball. He commented that the Lord had blessed him and had given him great pleasure through the athletic prowess of his boys. In the community, Sam was on the Nashville Sports Counsel promoter of the Music City Bowl. He served as president of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and chairman of the 1996 Tennessee U.S. Olympic Committee. Instrumental in bringing an NFL football team to Tennessee, he chaired the “Just Build It” campaign that raised over $100 million in suite sales, which was essential to bring the Houston Oilers to Nashville as the Titans. He was a founding member of the Golf Club of Tennessee. In 2009, Sam was awarded to Lifetime Achievement Award as an inductee into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, Sam will be awarded posthumously the Roy Kramer Contribution to Football Award by the National Football Foundation.<br />Sam was a Christian and attended weekly men’s Bible study. He believed in faith in action and was active in Christian causes. He was a longtime supporter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a past chairman of the governor’s prayer breakfast. In 2000, he was vice-chairman of the Billy Graham Crusade in Nashville. The Operation Andrew Group named Sam to be the recipient of the 2012 Joe and Honey Rodgers Business Leadership Award in recognition for outstanding leadership in the community, service to others, and commitment to Christian principles forming the basis for all that he does. He co-authored God’s Role in America with Stephen Mansfield for a friend to explain America’s Christian foundation.<br />When Sam was named Father of the Year by the Diabetes Association in 2004, he credited a Christ-empowered life and great family for his success. Sam is survived by his wife of 52 years, Vicki; son Bo Bartholomew and his wife, Sarah; daughter Anne Dickey and her husband, RA; son Will and his wife, Shelly; son Ben and his wife, Sarah Elisabeth; 14 grandchildren; brother David and his wife, Caroline; sister Becky and her husband, Dr. KD Weeks; and sister Susie.</p>