No. 7: Businessman, philanthropist leaves lasting legacy

Attorney Sam Hamra, a pillar in the business community and a celebrated philanthropist, died on Aug. 2 at age 92, leaving a plethora of people who counted him as a major influence in their lives and the lives of others.

“He loved southwest Missouri and worked to contribute back to the Springfield area, which he and my mom have called home for over 65 years,” Mike Hamra said of his father.

Hamra’s influence stretched across multiple industries for decades. Awards and honors included the Springfieldian award from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Excellence in Business Award from Ozarks Technical Community College, Key to the City from Springfield Mayor Ken McClure and Lifetime Achievement in Business from Springfield Business Journal.

As an attorney, he worked both in private practice and government service. As a businessman, he introduced Springfield to Wendy’s square hamburgers and the chocolate Frosty in the 1970s, ultimately boasting nearly 200 restaurants in 11 states under the Wendy’s, Panera, Noodles and Co. and Caribou Coffee brands. Roughly 1,830 of Hamra Enterprises’ 7,400 employees work in Missouri, according to company officials. Mike Hamra took over Hamra Enterprises in 2011.

Hamra gave financially to several philanthropic causes and served on the boards of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ozarks Tech, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, CoxHealth and other organizations. The office of Legal Services of Southern Missouri, for which he was instrumental in its formation, was named the Sam F. Hamra Center for Justice in 2012.

Fond remembrances flowed at this death.

“He was instrumental in establishing legal services for the indigent in our community and was a generous patron for Legal Services of Southern Missouri,” Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association Executive Director Crista Hogan said.

“Sam was a community builder and expressed his love for southwest Missouri by continually contributing to the Springfield area,” McClure said. “Sam was one-of-a-kind and made an impact on so many aspects of Springfield.”

“It’s almost hard to put into words how impactful Sam Hamra had been on CoxHealth,” said Lisa Alexander, president of the CoxHealth Foundation, noting he was instrumental in securing the property that now houses the Meyer Orthopedic campus. “That commitment to the Cox board is huge. It was multiple, multiple meetings a month. And he never missed a meeting. Sam was always there. He was always participating. He just was a man that when he was committed to something, he was committed 150%.”