Remembering Sam Salas

Born and educated in Santiago, Chile, Samuel Salas came to Cranbrook in 1960 as a teacher. Hired by then headmaster Harry Hoey, who met him on a visit to Santiago with his wife Nessa, he immediately offered the young teacher a position teaching Spanish and coaching soccer. He moved to campus with his wife Cecilia and taught for two years before being lured back to the school he had left in Chile as principal. However, the ties to Cranbrook remained strong and the couple returned in 1964, raising daughter Maria Paz and sons Ignacio ’81 and Antonio ’85 on campus and becoming an integral part of residential life at Cranbrook. During his 25 years at the school, Salas progressed to head of the foreign language department, head of residential life, and then academic dean.

In 1979, he became the seventh and last Headmaster of Cranbrook School for Boys and continued on to become Director of Schools, providing leadership to the community through the merger of Cranbrook and Kingswood in 1985. During this time Salas worked to coordinate the programs and resources at the two separate schools, taking on the task of leveraging the strengths and talents of the blended faculty, noting that “I am pleased with the results we achieved. We now have a broad liberal arts curriculum that is flexible to the needs of each student. We can be mindful of the individual’s abilities and goals and help develop a program of study that will be right for him or her.”

Salas is credited with helping Cranbrook become a more culturally diverse institution. He came to the school with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and education from the University of Chile; a Master of Arts in linguistics from the University of Michigan; and a master's degree in education, guidance and counseling from U of M. He also studied at Wesleyan University, Brown and the University of Madrid.

As he progressed through his career at Cranbrook, Salas worked assiduously on various capital projects including major restorations of the Cranbrook Quad and Alumni Courtyard and the enclosure and renovation of the ice arena.

Salas was named headmaster of Breck School in Minneapolis in 1987 and served that school until his retirement in June 2007. He was elected to the Boards of both ISACS and NAIS, where he worked with many independent schools colleagues across the country. Upon his retirement Sam immediately took up advocacy for under-resourced communities in Minneapolis, serving on several boards and working with local Minneapolis nonprofits including Cristo Rey Jesuit High School - Twin Cities, Hospitality House Youth Development, YMCA, Children’s Theatre Company, MacPhail Center for Music, The Nature Conservancy, Aim Higher Foundation, and the Shoe Ministry - Basilica of St. Mary, where he was presented with the Madonna Della Strada Award by Ignatian Volunteer Corps.