List,
Wm. Sampson was a San Jose-based custom maker. I never heard the story of the broken frame before, except via the internet. When I was still in grad school, I built up some special wheels for a friend who had ordered his directly from Sampson. Everything turned out great. Sampson was more reasonable in price than some of his contemporaries; he built more for the tourists and century crowd, I think. This friend needed a big frame as he was 6'5". It was black Imron with the red decals. Kind of thick on the Imron as was common, I suppose, in some quarters. Campy crank and hubs. Mafac 2000 gold brakeset. Ideale tan seat. I'm saying all this because the bike was stolen in San Diego a few years ago.... so if this stirs any memories, let me know.
BTW, when my friend went out for a ride with his then-neighbor, it was quite a site I suppose as his neighbor was even taller-- Bill Walton.
Ken Wehrenberg, Hermann, MO