Comments on: Death Of Samantha Morgan Of “The Wall Of Death”.

By: Russ Noel

Russ Noel — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:53:51 +0000

Love and miss you a lot Sammy.

By: kelly mann

kelly mann — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 03:21:23 +0000

i will miss her glow that made everything smile !

By: Larry Pomerantz

Larry Pomerantz — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:36:00 +0000

Neal, If this Neal the Judge, E mail me at lphealthhelp@gmail.com.

By: Larry Pomerantz

Larry Pomerantz — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:33:58 +0000

To Neal: I realize that its a year and a half later but fyi she was the Marsh Green From Treasure Island.

By: mike machado

mike machado — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:48:37 +0000

Wow i feel privlidged to have even seen her do her show..I seen her twice and there whole cast gave me memories that will always be remembered forever.. Thank you Samantha and all of you…May she rest in peace……..Now she’s staring in her own show up in heaven,,,right sammy………mike

By: Christina Shook

Christina Shook — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:48:48 +0000

I’ve just learned of Sam’s death as I was looking her up to tell her my book was finally being published 2 years after we met and I photographed riding the drome in Hollister.

Of the many outstanding wonderful and dear women riders I’ve met, Sam stands out for her incredibly positive accepting view of the world. She was immediately kind, warm and welcoming and her philosophy of life was present in her words and actions. Many people say the words but Sam really did live life fully, she lived with passion.

Sam will be missed but I think she did not miss out on life. I give her kudos for an amazing life well lived.

By: Cory Gershberg

Cory Gershberg — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:43:35 +0000

Samantha was an unbelievable person. I’m 37 years old now and I remember as a child my parents took her under their wing and treated her like she was part of our family. She was the sister that I never had, she used to sing to me at night so I could fall asleep. Mr. Bojangles was her favorite. Reading all of these comments on this page will let you know what kind of a person she really was. My family will miss her dearly my mother, father, and 2 brothers all have some special memories of Samantha. I know that she is in what we all call “A better place”. I do know one thing…. She is somewhere doing what she loved to do her entire life, and that we all know is Riding her bike with the wind blowing at her beautiful long blonde hair with the feeling of FREEDOM by her side.

We will all join you one day Samantha on that ride to Freedom, but until then remember that you have touched all of our lives and we will never forget you.

love us all,

Cory Gershberg

By: neal

neal — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:58:58 +0000

does anyone know if she is the marsha green who attended treasure island camp

By: seth deitsch

seth deitsch — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:45:25 +0000

I wish i was able to spend more time with her than the few visits we had between the years, samamtha is my aunt, (mothers sister) I found this out from my dad who discovered her when he didnt hear from her for a week after her last fall on her bike. my family is heart broken, one of her best friends “criminal” past away a week after sammy, he and my dad were the ones who came over sammy’s and found her…..I know criminal truely died from a broken heart….He treated her like a daughter, Sam is truely a legend and will be missed by anyone who knew her…..love you always sammy….anyone who knew her personality would know she would’ve atleast want to be buried with her bike’s!! love your nephew..Seth Deitsch

By: CARIANN

CARIANN — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:31:47 +0000

Sammy, I met you in Ormond bch. Fl with my best freind and my soul mate Rhett Rotten who adrored you,I rode on the tank with Rhett in a few bike rallys until Rhettt and I made a bad move with Rose and Jim Mieshler they ripped Rhett and I apart and made me leave the Wall of Death , so he could chase his dream, I left it far behind because I knew how much he loved the thrill and I could not take that dream away from him , It’s so very hart breaking and I still kept on tract on things with you Wall Riders. I was very fortunate to meet Lucky and Johny Rotten, along with Dan and his boy , but no one amased me as you did , I’m always going to feel so priviledge as I did to meet you and I wished I was able to fall in your foot steps, god bless you and I hope now you feel no pain.. LOVE ALWAYS. CARI ANN

By: joe"squeek"milan

joe"squeek"milan — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:15:13 +0000

sAM WAS A FREIND TO BOTH ,MY SON jR. AND i We met in sturgis 7 or 8 years ago we set up wright next to the wall. what a great person,rider and freind she will be missed by this Masshole She was a great lady I’m proud to have her wear my CRASHIN SUCKS clothes gone to soon always remembered SQUEEK

By: Brian Jackson

Brian Jackson — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:41:24 +0000

It has been a little over a year since I last talked to Sammy, and finding this news on the internet has hit me like a ton of bricks. She was my friend, the greatest gift my years on the Speed Channel had afforded me. I met Sam in Sturgis in 2002, and my interview of her for the Ride On show went on for nearly two hours. I completely fell in love with this open, free-spirited, loving, generous woman who lived to ride her Scout. I had the opportunity to introduce her to Goth, to hook her up with Indian Larry (she taught him to ride the Wall in return for welding lessons in Brooklyn — unfortunately, they never transpired) and Sara Liberte, and to party with her in Hollister, Daytona and Sturgis. She was the most beloved person to so many. Her life revolved around her animals, and many times I have wept with her at the loss of one of her babies.

I think of Sammy often, and I know i always will. She was a one-of-a-kind; we will not see her like again.

“She freed a lot of people
But it seems the good, they die young
I just turned around, and she was gone.”

Godspeed, Sammy, til we ride together again.

By: Robert Davis

Robert Davis — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:05:04 +0000

Sam was a very close friend of mine. I met her after they did a show at Laconia bike week in 2006. Their truck broke down that was used to pull the show. A friend of mine hooked me up with Sam and the crew to move their show to a one day event in Iowa. It was for JP Cycles open house. That’s when I met Sam. I helped them set up and tare down. I can remember going back to her trailer after she rode and she would show me all the great pictures she had of the old dromes and riders.
From then on I had a friend. I was able to spend a lot of time with Sam during 2007.
I miss her smile, her laughter, and her knowledge of the sport. Everytime I was down visiting Sam, she was always talking about finishing the other drome she had gotten from a friend that passed away in NC or SC. She wanted to build it too ride for charitys for animals and children in need. She also wanted to have an all girl drome show. Gothgirl, Ice, and Sara Liberte, she said was going to be part of her crew. I don’t believe that I’ve ever met any of them, but I would like to someday.

Sam, you will always have a close place in my heart. I know that one day I will see you again. God bless and god speed in the drome high in the sky.

Robert

By: skip&kathy hall

skip&kathy hall — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:16:44 +0000

my wife and i had relocated to hawaii and were just now finding out about sam’s passing via the august 08 issue of easyrider we were fortunate enough to meet sam and see her ride on many many occassions she always had a smile and a kind word our condolences to her friends and family seeing sam always brought to mind the old adage “if you love what you do for a living you’ll never work a day in your life” sam never worked a day in her very short life god bless sam you’ll live on in our hearts and memories forever

By: Larry Pomerantz

Larry Pomerantz — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:47:06 +0000

I’ve known Sam for45 years, when we were in the same summer camp on Long Island then. I knew her as Marsha Green and she occasionally told me I was the only one that would sometimes slip and call her that and she always laughed. We saw each other infrequently but corresponded over the years, with an occasional long gap. She was just a beautiful person. As beautiful as she was to look at she was ten times as beautiful as a person. Talking to her after a month or a year it didn’t matter. She was your friend forever. Always a great story, especially about her pets.

Last year the NY Time did a wonderful piece on her and I called to remark on it. I did ask her if by breaking the speed records she also broke the time barrier! The article listed her as 47 and I was 54 and I used to be only one year older than her! She laughed and said that people didn’t want to see an old lady doing her stunts. I told she had it backwards that if she gave her real age she’d be on the cover of the AARP magazine! She never did realize how special she was.
I will miss my friend.

By: Brian Howe

Brian Howe — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:40:57 +0000

I only found out about Sam yesterday and I am totally shocked. I only met her the once and saw her ride. She was without doubt one of the nicest ladies you could ever meet………Rest easy Sam, you were loved !!

By: Tyna Bower

Tyna Bower — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:29:29 +0000

I was introduced to Sam via Laura Klock (then Laura Ellifson). She said this was “a woman you HAVE to meet” and she was right. Sam had a glow about her, an amazing passion, and excitement for life that resonated in every word she spoke. As we talked, Sam told me about her past and the story of other amazing riders she had met in life. She told me how she was at the Salt Flats and held on with all her life as the bike shook and felt as if it was going to fall apart… and a world record was born. I was in awe!
When I mentioned I was working to create the first Women’s Day at Top 50 Rally Park, Sam was sooooo excited. She felt women were sometimes pushed out of things they could do saying “this is a man’s industry”. She had stood up and battled that in her life and as in everything wanted to share the world of possibilities and encouragement with others. We talked and for hours about all the roles women have played over the years, all the struggles she had endured, and all the triumphs she had seen. She felt there was more to riding than just being on a bike….a type of freedom she expressed best when talking about the motordome… the challenges, the thrill, the crowds, her teacher Sonny, even the falls and injuries. She couldn’t make it to the event that year due to injuries, but connected me to many other amazing women in the industry. She wanted to be part of this year’s Women’s Day activities and we we talked about bringing other riders such as herself to simply share their stories, something she did, it seems with each person she met. Sam was an awesome lady and a jewel in motorcycling history. She was and is an inspiration and an amazing spirit. I only wish I had the opportunity to have spent more time with such a beautiful being.
Sam, I know you’re loving that motordome in the sky. Thank you for sharing yourself through stories and your time. My love to you and all those who your life has touched.

By: Jabee

Jabee — Sun, 25 May 2008 22:47:58 +0000

An article posted today in our local paper ( http://www.pbpost.com).
Bless you Sammy & Crim we will miss you…….

Samantha Morgan, daredevil rider, dies
Click-2-Listen
By KELLY WOLFE

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Saturday, May 24, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH — Samantha Morgan was a quiet legend – a lithe, blonde, sexy, swaggering chick with more street cred than public accolades. She made a living doing stunts on a 1931 Indian motorcycle and performed her gravity-defying show for crowds across this continent and others.

“She was beautiful, smart and talented,” said longtime friend Russell Noel, who said Ms. Morgan was already riding motorcycles when he met her at age 14.

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“She always had an interest in speed, in motorcycles,” said Dianne Hancock, who said she is Ms. Morgan’s sister.

Hundreds of people crowded into the VFW Post 2007 on Saturday afternoon to raise a glass to a friend, artist and pioneer. Ms. Morgan, 54, was discovered dead in her bedroom April 28. It’s unclear how she died.

Ms. Morgan lived in Loxahatchee when she wasn’t on the road, and she spent the last months of her life piecing together the history of the kitschy carnival act that became her life’s work when she was just a scrawny 14-year-old runaway.

“That was her life, the motor drome,” Hancock said.

The 100-year-old act – where motorcycle riders perform stunts on a 90-degree angle inside a portable, bowl-shaped arena – doesn’t draw the crowds it once did. And Morgan was worried the motor drome, also called The Wall of Death, would be forgotten.

“She loved it, and she wanted it to live on,” Hancock said.

After all, it was within The Wall of the Death that Ms. Morgan found a life.

She ran away from home in Long Island at age 11, back when she was still Marsha Greene. She lived on the streets until she discovered “wall riding” at a county fair three years later. There, she met legendary motor drome rider Sonny Pelaquin, who gave her a job. Pelaquin was Noel’s uncle.

Noel said Ms. Morgan started out as a go-fer, willing to sit in a hot ticket booth for hours if it meant that one day she’d get a shot at riding inside the wall.

“My uncle believed in paying your dues,” Noel said. “But she knew what she wanted to do, and she was willing to do what it took to get there.”

Ms. Morgan was so good, and so tough, she commanded respect in a field where there were very few women. She broke many bones – her back three times, alone. In 2006, she was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame in South Dakota for her contribution to daredevil riding. In all her photos, she’s wearing her trademark sunny grin.

Hancock said her sister also had a quiet side, fitting stained glass together into works of art. She also loved animals, and was a good friend.

“She’d give people second, third and fourth chances,” Hancock said. “She never wrote anybody off.”

And Noel said she never stopped loving her motorcycle – an Indian 101 Scout. “She rode until the day she died,” he said.

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By: lilas varanne

lilas varanne — Sat, 24 May 2008 12:43:34 +0000

adieux mon amie SAMANTHA en ce jour de tes funerailles ou je ne serai pas phisiquement vu l elolgnement mais je serai en pensee avec tes nombreux amis pour te dire aurevoir .je n oublierai pas les bons et aussi les dificiles moments que nous avons passes ensemble lors que tu est vennue chez moi en Allemagne a l octoberfest et ensuite tu est rentee avec nous en famille en France .je n oublierai pas non plus les 2 mois passes toi au lit a ma caravanne ,moi a te soigner apres ta chute dans notre mur de la mort !je n oublierai pas non plus le bel acceuil que tu nous a fais Gerard et moi lorsque nous sommes venus te visiter a la beekwik de daytona .merci de ta gentillesse et de l amitie que tu m a apporte .aurevoir SAMYdort en paix adieux Lilas

By: Ice

Ice — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:20:38 +0000

I am lucky to have called Sam my friend. She had a love of life and motorcycles that few will ever feel. She would light up when she started speaking of the history of the Motor Dromes.
what amazing energy she had. She has left a void in so many lives with her passing. It still doesn’t seem possible. When I think of her I see her as in my favorite picture, right after she set a land speed record at Bonneville. I will never forget that day as she called to share her excitement with the record. She was an amazing woman with a big heart.
Sam…ride free and even though I cry because I will never be able to hear your voice, or watch you go side saddle again, I know that you are with Sonny and Crim. You will be missed and never forgotten.

By: sebringmokie

sebringmokie — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:53:41 +0000

it’s been along time scince i’ve seen sam, what can you say, beautiful women, rider, and friend. ride hard in harley heven with crim. love ya.

By: dromerider

dromerider — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:16:17 +0000

” If you could see what it’s done to me to lose the love I knew
would safely lead me thru the land that I once knew. To To learn as we grew old the secrets of our souls.
Between the silence of the mountians and the crashing of the sea,
There lies a land I once lived in and she’s waiting there for me.”

love ya wahl

By: Sasha

Sasha — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:13:18 +0000

I met Sam through Goth who told me I must meet this amazingly talented sister. What a gift it was to know Sam. Reading Chris Callen’s post made me wish I was there, too, at the Salt Flats and Hall of Fame moment to experience her accomplishments, to see her flash that smile of hers that would light up the soul in anyone of us all. I loved to hang out at her camper. She and Goth always made me feel welcomed there. We could cut up and get really silly. Samantha, rest peacefully and soar freely with your angel wings. Thank you for all the splendid gifts you shared with us all. We miss you, sweet girl.

By: Marilyn Stemp

Marilyn Stemp — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:44:37 +0000

A powerful, warm spirit like the one that inhabited Sam Morgan, doesn’t go away – it just changes form. Sam earned some comfort, a respite from pain; that’s what she deserves and what I hope she has now. She used her gifts to the fullest while she was here, now it’s up to us to keep her alive in our hearts and minds. Someone smart once said: “Every exit is an entry somewhere else.” God speed, Sam.

By: Mark Barnett

Mark Barnett — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:51:57 +0000

Sam performed twice at our Harley store in El Paso. I remember catching all six shows on that first Saturday, I couldn’t get enough of the performance. It was so damn dangerous, and yet it wasn’t nutty like bike jumping or setting yourself on fire; it took a tremendous amount of skill. She was much more of a racer than a stunt person in my opinion. I immediately respected her ability and courage. Our magazine went on to become a sponsor of the Wall of Death. You didn’t just have a business relationship with Sam; if you knew her, you became her friend. She kept in touch, especially when she went to Bonneville and was doing something she knew I’d be interested in. Her contagious friendly demeanor was her greatest gift to others. I hope she truly enjoyed herself. She definitely left her mark.