Sam W. Rankin of Hideaway, Texas, breeder of champion Quarter Horse Six Fortunes and a former co-owner of Evangeline Downs, died peacefully September 15 surrounded by his family. He was 88.

Born May 24, 1938, in Gladewater, Texas, Rankin spent his youth in the East Texas oil community before serving in the Army Reserves. The values he learned in his hometown—hard work, integrity and personal responsibility—remained central throughout his life.

Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Rankin co-founded several oil-related businesses, including the oil derrick service companies PAR and VeRan. Both were established with his lifelong b