Sam Venneri
Samuel Venneri, Washington Post
“Sam had a love of aviation, which he carried throughout his life. He had an impressive Federal career with NASA, which began in 1981, where he held several positions, most notably Chief Technologist from 1996 until his retirement in October 2002. During a portion of that time, he also served as Associate Administrator for Aerospace Technology. While at NASA, Sam received several Presidential Rank Awards.”
From our first meeting more than 30 years ago, Sam Venneri was consummate “player” in the game of Washington, and a passionate champion for NASA’s space technology research programs. It seems somehow impossible that he should be gone.