Everyone has that one special friend that he or she would be willing to do almost anything for.  Fred had Barney,Yogi had Boo Boo, and of course, Scooby had Shaggy, the one person Scooby would give up a Scooby Snack for.  Me?  I'm lucky enough to know Sam Baeza.
 I first met Sam several years ago while we were working together at the Holiday Inn.  Never in my life had I seen anyone quite like him.  He's a fairly tall, muscular man, with broad shoulders and coal black hair.  Looking at him, you can easily tell that he's Hispanic; Mexican to be specific.  In his coffee brown eyes lives a constant look of confusion.  It's never easy to tell what he's thinking about, but you know it's something.  And whatever it is, it must be something interesting enough to create that thoughtful expression that's always on his face.  It's almost as if he's trying to solve a complicated Algebra equation in his mind.  It's often comical, how he's always deep in thought, with a far away look in his eyes; almost like he's lost.  It's obvious that the wheels in his brain are perpetually turning, and one can't help but be intrigued.  The first thing that I noticed about his personality, was his incredible sense of humor.  He was always funny, even when he wasn't trying to be.  Since the day I met him, all I ever had to do was look at him, and I'd just laugh.  He seems to have that affect on a lot of people.  I do not know a single person who knows Sam and doesn't just love him to death.  He is the most loyal, sincere, and interesting person; the rarest, yet most important qualities you'll ever find.  I knew in an instant that I was going to enjoy his company.  And I was right.  We soon became good friends.
 The better I got to know Sam, the better I liked him.  He's the type of person who is loyal to his friends, and is treated loyally in return.  And even though his mannerisms are somewhat shy, Sam is no doubt one of the most creative people I've known.  Even his bedroom is a remarkable display of his creativity.  Graffiti covers one whole wall from top to bottom.  Every word written on it means something.  As does every picture.  Anyone is welcome to contribute.  Along another wall rests a large glass tank containing the lizards.  On his cluttered desk you would find objects kept from meaningful past experiences, perhaps a photograph or note.  And the rest of the walls are covered in samples of Sam's extraordinary artwork.
 I quickly became aware of the fact that Sam likes to have fun with all of his friends.  And boy did he like to party!  So much, in fact, that he would typically have small "social gatherings" at his house, while his parents, who were none the wiser, were at work.  It became clear that he was one of those unique persons who could do anything he wanted to do, no matter what the odds.  He's the kind of person whom you look at and say, how does he do it?  For example, at one of these gatherings, someone suggested the idea of a game of Quarters.  Sam is never one to turn down a challenge, so immediately he was in.  Now if you are unfamiliar with the game Quarters, the idea is to bounce a quarter off of the table and land it inside of a shot glass, positioned in the center of the table.  It's basically a skill game, so if you don't have much skill, the game can quickly become boring and extremely frustrating.  As was the case that particular night.  No one could seem to win.  I remember glancing around the table and seeing the looks of anxiousness turn to disgust as every attempt to pitch the quarter successfully into the wretched shot glass failed.  Finally, it was Sam's turn again.  He snatched the quarter off of the table and threw his arms up in the air declaring, "Okay, this is it!  It's all over now!  I won!"  And with that, he didn't even hesitate as he carelessly chucked the coin onto the table.  Everyone around the table looked on in complete awe as the quarter clinked against the rim of the glass, then fell directly inside.  Sam just smiled smugly as we all gasped incredulously, then burst into hysterical laughter.  Only Sam Baeza could have done it like that.  I knew at that moment that he had something rare and special about him: He could make things happen.
 That's just the type of person he is.  And I think that is why I'm so intrigued by him; he's always against the odds.  His ambition to accomplish a goal completely overpowers anything that threatens to stop him.  That's not to say that he has always had things go his way.  That is most definitely the farthest from the truth.  But still, he has always managed to land on high ground.  And because of that, I admire Sam more than any other friend.  There's just something respectable about someone who gets a lot of bad breaks, but still maintains his dignity, rather than complain and feel sorry for himself.  I think that in that way, Sam is a much stronger person.  And by being his friend and learning from him, I believe that I am a stronger person as well.
 Take this past year, for example.  The year of 1999 was supposed to be the greatest year of our lives; We were seniors in highschool, our class was set to graduate as the last class of not only the century, but of the millenium as well, senior trips were planned among friends, vacations were set for summer, and our school's graduating athletes were preparing for their final seasons.  I knew how much Sam was looking forward to this year; everybody was.  But all of the joy of 1999 ended for Sam before it even started.  After realizing his talent for playing football, Sam joined the Highschool football team and became a starting player.  His time on the team was short lived, however, as a serious knee injury requiring surgery kept him off of the field for the remainder of the season.  Not only was football vetoed for Sam, but also his other sports, track, was also out of the question.  If that weren't enough, towards the end of our school year, Sam was expelled from school and told that he couldn't graduate with the rest of his class.  All because of a pathetic misunderstanding!  And to top all of that off, Sam lost two of his grandparents shortly after the graduation he was forbidden to attend.
 I'm not quite sure how Sam handled this so well.  While his disbelief and disappointment were apparent, he never once felt sorry for himself.  Nor did he tolerate anyone else feeling sorry for him.  After all that he'd been through, Sam managed to keep his dignity and grace.  I look at him in complete awe.  Just by having him as my friend, I know that I would have that same strength if ever I needed it.  It is amazing how much I have learned from Sam, by him simply being himself.  I do know that having Sam as my friend is like an adventure.  Even after years of getting to know him, I still never know what to expect.  I always look at him in wonder.  I wonder, what is he thinking?  I wonder how does he do it?  I wonder what will he do next?  I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but I can't wait to find out.  His friendship is one I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, not even a Scooby Snack.

Krista Rae Deppeschmidt
1999