Gordon Alexander Sampson, a native of Canada, was born in 1888. He received his early education and training in the schools of Toronto. Following his formal education, he entered business first as a banker and later as a business analyst and accountant. A member of one of Canada's most famous infantry regiments, the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, Major Sampson saw active service in Europe during World War I. Continuing his business career after the war, he toured the United States and settled there.

Major Sampson became an auditor for Columbia Pictures Corporation during the heyday of the movies, a public accountant in California, and the first tax administrator for the Washoe County Fair and Recreation Board. A large portion of his discussion is dedicated to the development and operation of the V & T Railroad, of which he was general manager for a number of years. Major Sampson also held a number of other positions in his chosen city and state. Always an active participant in, and observer of, his environment, he became influential in business and civic affairs of western Nevada.

Over the last eight decades, Mr. Sampson has seen many changes in society. He recalls the time of wooden-block pavements, wooden curbs and sidewalks, gas street lamps, carbon-electric lights, boulevards shaded with spreading chestnut trees, and horse-drawn street cars. He offers his philosophy on changing social mores and compares contemporary lifestyles with an age when there was domestic tranquility, simple living, and a sense of true values and high moral standards.