The late Sam Combs taught vocational agriculture at Wheatley High School in Beggs before being hired by the Soil Conservation Service. He retired from SCS in 1990. He was a champion of high school vocational agricultural programs and co-founded the Retired Educators for Agriculture Programs (REAP) to address the shortage of African-American role models in agricultural-related occupations. Today REAP works to increase minority participation in FFA, provide mentors, locate college scholarships and encourage young African-Americans to train for careers in agriculture. Combs died in 1999.

Mr. Combs was inducted to the CareerTech Hall of Fame in 2005.