Samuel J. L’Hommedieu, Jr. – Sergeant, United States Army

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Sam L’Hommedieu Dies

Concert Promoter; Lawyer Managed Theater, Owned Clubs
Thursday, August 5, 1999

Sam L’Hommedieu, a veteran concert promoter and businessman who managed the Warner Theatre in the 1980s and helped revive the venue as a showplace for Broadway stage productions, died of a heart attack August 2, 1999, at a Philadelphia hospital. He was 74 and lived in Washington.

Mr. L’Hommedieu, a lawyer and former co-owner of Washington nightclubs, operated for the last 10 years the Theater League of Philadelphia, which manages the Merriam Theater there. Earlier, he managed theaters in Atlanta and Cleveland.

In Washington, Mr. L’Hommedieu was known as an irrepressible impresario and an energetic businessman who thrived on his various ventures, even if they didn’t quite turn out the way he planned. Among his most notable achievements was management of the Warner for 12 years until it closed in 1989.

He had many successful shows at the 2,000-seat downtown theater, including James Earl Jones’s “Othello,” “The King and I,” “Sugarbabies,” “Camelot” and “Beatlemania.”

He promoted other events through his company, Chesapeake Concerts Inc., in Falls Church, which he ran from the late 1970s until his death. He promoted varied entertainment acts, including big bands, pop music, comedy, jazz, gospel and R&B.

A native Washingtonian, he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and entered the Army during World War II. As a member of the 87th Infantry Division, he served in Europe and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.

He graduated from the University of Maryland after the war and received law degrees from George Washington University. After clerking for U.S. District Judge Walter M. Bastian, Mr. L’Hommedieu was named an assistant U.S. attorney for the District and was assigned to prosecute cases in Municipal Court.

He later joined the D.C. law firm of Hansen, Cobb, Tucker & O’Brien, and in the mid-1960s, opened a practice with Terrance O’Grady. Among Mr. L’Hommedieu’s clients were Georgetown restaurants and clubs, establishments that led to his interest in the entertainment industry.

By the 1970s, he and Jack Boyle teamed together to run the Cellar Door nightclub, featuring headline acts like John Denver. They also operated Cellar Door Productions and other Washington night spots Crazy Horse and Monkey Business.

Mr. L’Hommedieu was a former owner and acting general manager of the Philadelphia Fury, a professional outdoor soccer team, and past president of the board of directors of the Hillcrest Children Center in Washington, a nonprofit organization benefiting children with disabilities.

Survivors include his wife, Sally-Jo L’Hommedieu of Washington, and a brother, Robert L’Hommedieu of Warrenton, Va.

Note:  His wife Sally Jo L’Hommedieu will be buried with her Sergeant on 20 June 2007.

L’HOMMEDIEU, SAMUEL J.

Of Washington, DC, on August 2, 1999, beloved husand of Sally-Jo L’Hommedieu; brother of Robert L’Hommedieu; niece and nephew, Lynn and Gary L’Hommedieu. Memorial services will be held at the Warner Theatre, Washington, DC at 3 p.m. on Friday, August 13. Interment Arlington National Cemetery, August 26, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Actor’s Fund of America, 1501 Broadway, Suite 518, New York, NY 10036 and/or The Salvation Army, 2626 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20037.

L’HOMMEDIEU, Sally-Jo Moore Was born March 30, 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Clark H. and Margaret Richardson Moore. She graduated from Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio. She lived for several years in Washington DC, where she was employed by the National Association of Securities Dealers and was a volunteer for the Salvation Army. Following the death of her husband Samuel J. L’Hommedieu she became the owner of Theatre Services, Inc. which provides ushers for performances. She had resided in Richmond, Virginia, since 2006. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to City of Sculpture, Hamilton, Ohio, One High Street, PO Box 545, Hamilton OH 45012 or Odyssey Hospice Health care, 2810 N. Parham Rd., Richmond Virginia 2329.

L’hommedieu, Samuel J Jr

  • Born May 26, 1925
  • Died August 2, 1999
  • SS Army, Sergeant,
  • Residence: Washington, DC,
  • Plot: 6-M2 6 1
  • Buried August 26, 1999

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