Final answer:
JJ Ford was intimately connected to Sam Westing as a potential heir in his will through the Westing game and had personal history with him as her education benefactor.
Step-by-step explanation:
JJ Ford's connection to Sam Westing is that she was a beneficiary and a potential heir in the Westing game, a contest created by the millionaire Sam Westing to determine who would inherit his fortune.
Additionally, JJ Ford shares a personal history with Sam Westing, as she was once a scholarship student at the same school that Westing's daughter attended.
Moreover, Judge Ford had borrowed money from Westing to pay for her education, which she later repaid, and she also has a deep sense of gratitude and obligation towards him for his help in her past.