author
Samuel J. (Samuel John) Sackett
1928–2018
A literary scholar, folklorist, and novelist, he brought the curiosity of a lifelong collector to everything from Kansas folk traditions and cowboy songs to playful reimaginings of classic stories. His wide-ranging career included teaching, research, journalism, career counseling, and fiction.
1 Audiobook
The Last Plunge
by Samuel J. (Samuel John) Sackett
About the author
Born in Redlands, California, in 1928, Samuel John Sackett earned degrees from the University of Redlands and a Ph.D. in English from UCLA. He taught English at Fort Hays State University in Kansas for 23 years, where he developed a deep interest in folklore and helped found the Kansas Folklore Society.
Sackett published scholarship and nonfiction on Kansas folklore, cowboy music, and writer Edgar Watson Howe. He later turned to fiction, writing novels and short stories that blended history, humor, fantasy, and literary reinvention, including Sweet Betsy from Pike, The Robin Hood Chronicles, Adolf Hitler in Oz, and Huckleberry Finn Grows Up.
After leaving academia, he worked in journalism, advertising, public relations, and career management before retiring. He died on March 29, 2018, leaving behind a varied body of work shaped by his interests in literature, folklore, and imaginative storytelling.