A native of Abilene, Sam Chase attended Texas Tech University where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in August 1969 and his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1972. He is a member of the Texas Tech Letterman's Association, past president of the Texas Tech Ex-Student's Association in Abilene and a member of the Texas Tech Chancellor's Council.

After graduation from Texas Tech, Chase returned home to Abilene to practice law and to become involved in community activities. In addition to his many civic endeavors, Chase is actively involved in local and state politics. Appointed by Governor William P. Clements, Chase served two terms on the Texas Crime Stoppers State Advisory Council. He also served on the Abilene Independent School District’s Facility Planning Committee and was appointed by then-Mayor Gary McCaleb to the City of Abilene’s Long Range Community Needs Planning Committee. In addition, Chase served as Co-Chairman of the Policy and By-Law Committee that drafted the original operating procedures for the Economic Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA), the first of its kind in the State of Texas. His community involvement has also included service as an active member and officer of the Board of Directors of many local civic organizations including the American Cancer Society, Crime Stoppers, Boys & Girls Club, Pastoral Care and Counseling Center, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Abilene Preservation League, Steering Committee for the Grace Museum, Little League, YMCA Indian Princess Program and Leadership Abilene. Currently, in addition to his duties as a second-term Abilene City Councilman, Chase serves as a board member for the Abilene Association of Independent Business Owners and as Past President of the Ft. Phantom Hill Lake Association.

Chase joined the Abilene Jaycees in 1972. His Jaycee resume lists numerous local, state and national awards, including a JCI Senatorship and induction into the United States Jaycee Hall of Leadership and Recruiter's Hall of Fame. In 1983, he was elected to serve as the 57 th President of the Texas Jaycees and under his leadership the state’s 263 chapters were recognized as the #1 State in the nation in community involvement and membership growth. As a result of this accomplishment, Sam was honored with the coveted Clayton Frost Memorial Award recognizing him as one of the nation’s outstanding state presidents.

Among his other career accomplishments, Sam is recognized as the Founder of the John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Forum. He has served many years as Chairman of the Shepperd Public Leadership Institute Advisory Council at the University of Texas Permian Basin. He has also served as President of the Abilene Young Lawyers Association and on the Texas Young Lawyers Association Board of Directors. Sam was named as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of Abilene in 1984 and is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. In 2001 and 2006, the Abilene Reporter News honored Chase with the Readers Choice Award as Best Attorney.

Sam and his wife, Linda, have been happily married for 41 years and reside at Ft. Phantom Hill Lake where they enjoy time with their hunting dogs, sailing and entertaining with friends. They are blessed with two children and three grandchildren. Their daughter, Heather Brooke, lives in Pembroke Pines, Florida with her husband Jim Bailey and their two daughters, Laurel and Leann. Heather received her R.N./B.S.N. degree from Texas Tech and Jim, a Tech engineering graduate, is a MAJ (P) in the U.S. Army. Their son, Hunter, also a Texas Tech graduate, is a Division Manager for Highland Homes in McKinney, Texas. His wife, Mandi, a Tech grad, is a former special education teacher, now employed by E.C.I. as a Certified Child Developmental Specialist. Hunter and Mandi have a 2-year-old son, Stone Patterson Chase.

"It is my sincere desire to make Abilene the best place in Texas to live and work so your children and mine can be afforded the opportunity to stay home, or return home, and prosper economically while enjoying the friendly, Christian environment and great quality of life that exists here."

-Sam Chase