Samuel Miller Freeman II – known to all as Beau – was a fixture in the Philadelphia auction scene for just shy of six decades, Roland Arkell writes.
A native of the city, he joined the family firm of Samuel T Freeman & Co as a graduate from Wesleyan University in 1958. He took his final sale at Freeman’s, wearing his trademark bow tie, as recently as June 12.
Across his career, Beau was involved in all aspects of the auction business. “I ain’t never had no other job,” he cracked in an interview in 1980 marking the firm’s 175th anniversary. He learned to appreciate the finer points of Philadelphia furniture and American clocks while sweeping floors and making deliveries in his 20s.