1918-1928  

Samuel was born on June 20, 1882, in Carthage, Mississippi, the son of Rev. William McBride and Neva Brown McBride. He was educated at Southwest Presbyterian University in Memphis, TN, where he received an A.B. degree in 1905, and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA, where he was awarded a B.D. in 1910. McBride was ordained to preach by the Abingdon Presbytery of Virginia in 1910, afterward serving pastorates at Galax and Hillsville, VA; Rayville, LA; and McGehee, AR. 

In 1918 Rev. McBride became the President of French Camp Academy and pastor of the Presbyterian churches of French Camp, Poplar Creek, and Old Lebanon. His work did not stop there, as he looked after the management of the school farm, milked the cows, cut firewood, and kept the school’s financial records. Rev. McBride preached every Sunday: twice a month at French Camp, and the rest of the month at Poplar Creek, Bywy, Bethsalem, Mount Zion, Old Lebanon, and Smyrna. 

Rev. McBride met a tragic death in 1928 at age 46 near French Camp when a sand bank caved in on him and smothered him to death. He and several others were excavating sand for the new buildings to be constructed for the Academy when the sand suddenly caved in, bringing with it a large boulder weighing several tons which caught him across his chest. Heroic efforts were attempted for his rescue, but, by the time sufficient help arrived, he had breathed his last. His passing was widely mourned as he was deeply loved in French Camp and the surrounding communities as a well-known educator and minister of the gospel.