Benjamin Sanford Pate, Jr., or Sam to his friends, was born on March 10, 1936 in Ashford, Alabama. While growing up, Sam enjoyed the wonders of the natural world, playing in the woods, streams, and anything outdoors. He was a graduate of Ashford High School and studied Pre-Med at Auburn University. He attended one year of medical school at the University of Alabama but soon realized it was not for him. Sam Pate moved to Columbus, Georgia and taught school there for fifty-one years. Thirty-five of those years were at Brookstone School serving as Chair for Environmental Studies. He brought in various bird and reptile species including flying a large condor over the football field while students sat on the field. Sam would also organize an annual field trip to Wakulla Springs, Florida. He served as a presenter at the National Science Teacher Convention in Boston and was chosen in 1962 to participate in a two-week program at NASA studying Mercury and Gemini Projects at Cape Canaveral. He returned there several years later to watch the rocket launch that put a man on the moon. In the 1970s, Sam joined the Columbus Audubon Society and agreed to be president of the group for two years. He brought in unique and engaging speakers and programs which held attendance above one hundred. One of these events was an annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Columbus, Georgia and Eufaula, Alabama Natural Wildlife Refuge. Sam Pate served as the creator, writer, and editor of the Observer newsletter for over forty-years. Sam Pate died on August 31, 2019 at Columbus Hospice House from a very long illness. He was married to his wife Nan for 41 years.