Sam Chinkes

• Name — Sam Chinkes • Born — 1 September 1922 • Birthplace — Brooklyn, New York, U.S. • Died — 10 April 2019 • Place of death — Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. • Occupation — Artist, designer

Chinkes was born in New York to Anna Chinkes and Max Chinkes, the owner of a camera store. Sam Chinkes worked at the store when he was a teenager. He began to draw the "first time he picked up a pencil." He served in the United States Army during World War II. He produced a series of paintings and photographs depicting his experiences while stationed in Greenland. Following his discharge, Chinkes attended the Veterans Art Center and studied industrial design at Pratt Institute and the Art Students League of New York, where he studied under Reginald Marsh. He attended a summer program with Marsh's students, including Roy Lichtenstein.

In 1960, Chinkes founded Sound Advertising, an advertising and public relations agency specializing in packaging design. He was featured in trade and business publications including Modern Packaging, Modern Plastics, Chief Executive Magazine, Candy and Confectionery, and Playthings Magazine. He was a judge for local, national, and regional contests for Mattel.

Chinkes, who regularly attended UFC matches, was known in the mixed martial arts community as one of the sport's oldest fans. He was profiled on The Ultimate Fighter in 2010; he was 88 at the time. In addition to creating sculptures that the visually impaired could touch, he read for the blind through a radio reading service. In a 2000 interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he said he hoped to establish a permanent gallery for the visually impaired. He often wrote tongue-in-cheek letters to the editor on subjects including education, the arts, taxes, bureaucracy, and public works.