The Shield - Sam Esposito Editionleadership positions he would speak and make you feel welcome. Thank you Sam. Odetta Mauney (CHS SeCom Dispatcher) I remember one day during taser

In Memoriam CHS Investigator Sam Esposito

Employee Engagement Committee �1

THE SHIELD



Thank You Sam Esposito Sam Esposito and I started at Carolinas Healthcare System together on April 5th, 2004. We met at orientation and were connected ever since. We shared in the Security Training program (if you could call it that back then) learning the policies and procedure of CHS and watching outdated videos of Healthcare security. I recall Sam saying that we were getting paid to watch “After-school Specials”. Funny how he then became a part of improving the training of so many CHS Security officers over the years. Sam Esposito went

on to work at CHS - University and rose to the rank of Sergeant and as the Training Investigation Division grew he left University to work at 1320 Scott Ave. Sam had what is now Quarter Master Lori Hines office. Back then, team briefing took place in the bottom half and I was also a Sergeant of B Team Days and we would all enjoy watching Sam walk through briefing, well dressed as always, entering his office. I would always stop briefing to announce the arrival of “Don” Esposito as we had a rule that no one except Sam could enter the briefing room. I would always joke that Sam would wake up an hour earlier than normal to pick out his outfit for the day. Sam would always make himself available to any officer at any time. That was just who Sam was as a person. Sam loved the talking to the teams during the change of shift and he took the time to make everyone feel welcome and appreciated for the work they did.

Sam loved to laugh, and was always doing and saying something to officers to get a smile from them. It was something he would tell me as an Italian; he loved to laugh and share stories with family and friends. On day at a managers meeting, Manager Eric Baptist (who too loves to dress up) was entering the room and Sam shouted out to Eric, “Man Eric! Where did you get that suit!”. Eric said, “Sam, you don’t know nothing about this suit … It’s Italian”. As I was sitting next to Sam, I replied to Eric, “Baptist, just because you spilled spaghetti

sauce on it, don’t make it “Italian”. Sam nearly fell out of his chair with laughter and for years would recall that moment.

While we have over 250 officer in CHS Security only a hand full half of us can say we know everyone. Sam could easily say that he touch each one of us and thats why we wanted any of the officer to share their stories and thoughts of Sam Esposito. Sam was the first friend I had when I moved to Charlotte from New York and took this position. We shared our accomplishments and talked in detail about our professional issues. For me, Sam was there to support me through it all and I know he continues to watch out for all of us from heaven with his wings securely fixed. Thank you for your wonderful friendship and spirit.

Christian L. Brown (Manager - CMC)


What I can tell you about Sam is he loved his sport teams for Ohio. I remember last fall when I was at training and Sam came to me and said, “How about them Buckeyes beating your Badgers and not just beating them but winning 49-0.” I told him it was an early Christmas gift. Sam was a man who made my day better every time I came in contact with him. If I was bringing him a taser to fix he would always exclaim, “How did Markey break this one?!”. Thanks Sam for all your smiles and your stories I will miss you!

Cpl. Vincent Tallmadge (CHS Pineville)

One of my fondest memories of “Uncle” Sam is from last year at PPCT training at Northeast. Since 2004 when “Uncle” Sam and I first started together he had asked me when I went to New York to bring him back some cannoli’s from this spot in Little Italy. Well Normally I drive to New York and because it takes so long the pastry would go bad. Fast forward to last year during lunch, “Uncle” Sam, Phillip and I went to lunch together at Bojangles. While there I said, “Sam, I’ll pay for your lunch.” So while we’re eating, I said,”Uncle sam, this should make up for the cannoli’s …right?”. He turns to me with a straight face and said, “Oh no, this is only the interest for the years I’ve been waiting!” (He was joking though). “Uncle” Sam… All heart and miss my friend dearly.

Sgt. Derek Greene (CHS Lincoln)

I remember when Sam first came here as an officer. He would always ask me to make coffee for him with a big smile on his face. Sam had that charismatic personality that you couldn’t help but love. Even in leadership positions he would speak and make you feel welcome. Thank you Sam.

Odetta Mauney (CHS SeCom Dispatcher)

I remember one day during taser training class, I told Sam that I used gun oil to clean my taser. His reaction of surprise to what he thought was a foolish act made the whole class laugh. I was kidding of course. Sam was always good at making the class laugh!

Rolando Leal (CHS Lincoln)

My greatest memory of Sam was when I first started with CHS and was in new officer training. Sam taught our taser class and he was the instructor that tased me. He made the class so fun, joking around with the group. As Sam tased me, I yelled out a curse word and Sam yelled back, “You better not be cussing at ME!!”. Everyone laughed, including me after the 5 second “ride” was over!

William Shepardson

A man who didn’t forget a face and was a friend to all. A class act who will be missed.

Fredrick Talford (Carolinas Medical Center)



Sam Esposito always made training events fun and exciting, even taser training you would forward to the 5 second “ride”. He would always show he cared about each of his fellow colleagues. But most of all I remember a person who was always smiling, no matter what was going on in his life. I remember a couple of days before he passed I was going to visit him in the hospital just to say thank you. To my surprise he was discharged and went home, a few days later he was gone. Don’t take for granted the time we have because tomorrow is not promised. I find it, still to this day, hard to believe my good friend Sam Esposito is not with us any more. Love you Brother!

Anthony G. Dodson (Carolinas Medical Center)

The first time I met Sam we were attending a TASER Master Instructor School in Charlotte. I noticed Sam wearing a shirt the said “CHS” on it. I asked him if his worked for the hospital system trying to make conversation. He politely said that he did and asked if I was from the Charlotte area. After I told him that I was, I told Sam that I knew Bryan Warren. Sam turned and looked me directly at me and said “So?”. It was at that time that I knew that I was destined to be Sam’s friend.

Every time that I teach handcuffing I will always remember Sam teaching the proper way to handcuff. Squatting down and raising his pant leg, exposing his skinny legs and black socks.

One time Sam and I were driving down to the old ABC store. We were stopped on Morehead in front of Hanover Square. A very elderly lady dressed from head to toe in spandex was making an attempt at jogging. As she passed our car, Sam honked the horn. As she was on my side of the car, she looked directly at me and stared. When I turned to look at Sam he was leaning back so he couldn’t be seen laughing hysterically. When the light changed and we started to drive off, Sam was still laughing so hard he was barely able to drive. I’m sure to this day there is a very elderly woman out there that thinks I’m some kind of pervert.

What I will remember most about Sam was how he cared and loved each person that he met. Every Security officer that came through training Sam considered to be his family. He took the time to get to know each person individually, learning their name and about their life. He genially cared about each person’s success and wanted the best for them. His dedication to the CHS Security Staff was evident towards the end as Sam continued coming to work to make sure that officer’s IAHSS test had been ordered, that officers were scheduled to attend training and so he could spend time with those who were members of his family that he held so dear.

Ralph Cummings (Investigator/ Trainer CHS Security)

Sam always used to joke and tell me my baby was an unofficial officer because I did my new officer training while I was pregnant. Rest Easy Sam <3

Jatoya Robinson (Behavioral Health - Charlotte)



So here is one from a few months ago, a typical case of me picking on Sam:

Sam seemed to be having a problem with his personal cell phone and he was grumbling about it to everyone at 1320 Scott that he had already been on the phone with Verizon about the issue several times. I went into the back room, typed up a message on my own personal cell phone the read something like, “Because of your repeated violations of our service agreement, your service will be suspended until you apologize to our agent for your poor attitude” and then ran it through the text to voice feature on my phone so it sounded like an actual automated service call. I then call his cell number from the emergency phone in the back room (so he wouldn’t recognize the number) and played the message. He didn’t understand it the first time so I called back and replayed it and mad did it make him mad. He was already on the phone to the actual Verizon people before I could stop him, he had to apologize for real to the poor customer service person that he was talking with in response to my”message” to him.

Director Bryan Warren (CHS Security)

I met Sam when he was a Sergeant at CHS University in 2004 and I was filling in. Sam was always full of life, energy, upbeat and always in a good mood. He would come in early every morning before 7:00am and greet everyone. Sam was always kind and considerate treating everyone like family. Sam noted that I was kind of shy and would say, “Hi Greene, how you doing” to include me and make me feel part of the group. The security office was located near the distribution office everyone knew and loved Sam. His mood made all of us be in a good mood. I miss that feeling of family in our department that Sam brought. I believe after retiring from the Ohio Highway Patrol and putting his life on the line every day, I think Sam appreciated the more relaxed atmosphere of healthcare security. Sam did not change from 2004, even when he was promoted to Training and Investigations. Every time I saw Sam he would greet me always in the same upbeat mood and it was always great to see him.

Paul Greene (Airport Center)

Sam defines the core values of our CHS Organization with his caring, commitment, dedication, and integrity. He truly loved his family and his job. Caring about people was his greatest asset and everyone who participated in his training classes was given his commitment in helping them complete the classes. He was dedicated to our organization and the CHS Security Department. Sam wanted to make sure that everyone was trained properly, even if it meant working through breaks and lunches to make them successful. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do some CPI classes with Sam and watch him interact with our teammates in a positive manner. He would encourage everyone to do their best by giving them positive reinforcement and confidence to accomplish the task at hand. I got to see the smiles on our teammate’s faces when following Sam’s guidance they completed a difficult escort position. I witnessed the nursing staff burst out with laughter when Sam would tell one of his real life trooper stories but what they did not realize was Sam was not after laughs he was bringing attention to their safety and how quickly a normal situation could go bad. When the laughter settled, he would calmly look everyone in the eye and say you are important to me, this organization, but most importantly your families. The room would get quiet because they knew Sam cared about them and he was telling the truth. I remember him saying one time, if I went to your families and ask them if you are important, they would tell me that you are the most important person in their lives, so you are (Continued on Next Page)



important and don’t ever forget it. Feeling like a big family was very special to Sam so no officer was a stranger to him. Sam told me how lucky he was to have a loving family. He and I would tell each other stories about our granddaughters and the crazy things they would say or do. He always gave a big chuckle when I told him something funny but not so much when I talked about football about the Browns or Buckeyes. He was a friend, coworker, and law enforcement brother who will truly be missed by all whose lives he touched. As I read the officers memorial it reminds me of Sam and what he stood for during his life.

I am a Warrior

I fight not for glory or fame, for they are momentary

I fight for those who can’t

I fight for justice

I fight for the oppressed and the down trodden

And if I should lose my life for these just causes, then I have no regrets, for I serve to protect the innocent

It matters not where or when, for evil knows no boundaries

Be it fire, flood, or the threat of tyranny, I will not flee

Justice is my weapon

Faith is my shield

Hope is my armor

Cry not at my passing, for it was my honor to fight for you

Shed not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy, for now I stand with God

May you rest in peace Sam, we will miss you!

Manager Dennis Aderholt (CHS Security)



I am a CHS Security Officer currently assigned to the Airport Center or as Sam referred to it as the “Retirement Center”. Sam just didn’t feel there was enough action at the APC. Actually, that was my and Sam’s only point of contention. If you asked me how long I have been a Security Officer I could in fact say 8 years as I will be here 8 years in April but for me I gauge my years of service by how many mandated training programs I have completed which in my case is 7. All of which I owe to Sam.

Sam was a great trainer. He is one of the few people who knew all our names, facilities, and our background. Which is quite a feat as we have 255 plus officers. I know this because to engage us in class Sam would call out the Officer’s name and say when you were on CMPD, NYPD, DC DOC, etc. did you ever encounter this, the topic he was discussing. Sam knew which branch of the armed Services our Officers were in as there would be friendly banter on which branch was the best. Additionally, Sam knew what motivated us in training. Since Security is still male dominated we have a lot of Officers that are motivated by competition so Sam would always challenge us to do it safely but faster, safely but do a friendly competition against time and each other. For me Sam noted early on that I was motivated by encouragement. I worried about training

365 days a year. I cannot sleep or eat before each class. I prepare even though I know the information. All the trainers are good but for me when I saw Sam walk in I was relieved, I knew I had a good chance of making it through the class. My fear is that I don’t want to let anyone down, myself, my management team who place a lot of trust in me, Officers at the APC, trainers or the Security Dept. So with that much extra pressure I become extremely nervous. But Sam always got me through it. Somewhere in all the yelling Sam would say I know you can do this….so do it faster!

Sam use to bring his lunch to training so if you brought your lunch you could sit and talk to him. Regardless if you were a fellow trainer, AVP, Officer or Manager, Sam would talk football, Nascar and current events with you. Many Officers would ask Sam about calls they had experienced. Sam never once, when I was around, said lets

discuss that later let me eat my lunch. If you were listening to the conversations you would feel the Officers were sometimes speaking to a friend, brother, father or Trainer which of course Sam was all of those things. Sam was a mentor and a leader that led by example. I further believe the reason Sam was a great trainer was because he worked his way up from being a Trooper to being a Sgt. with the Highway Patrol. He was a Sgt. in Security before he was a Lt./Trainer/Investigator. Therefore Sam never asked us to do anything that he had not done himself. When you are asking brave men and women to put their lives on the line every single day there is an instant trust when you have put your life on the line. When you asked us to go through training and you have gone through the training yourself, Officers will do anything for you. My favorite thing about Sam was that Sam had no filter, he never did


Rest Easy Sam, We’ll Miss You.


anything for self-promotion and either chose to ignore the politics or didn’t know they existed. Since Sam had no filter he spoke what he knew to be the truth and with Truth you have trust, as a matter of fact you cannot have trust without truth. There came a time when I brought some cinnamon pecans to class and Sam like them. I actually did a little happy dance (sorry for the image) that I could finally give back to Sam and I could do it without his help. Sometimes I would make pecans just for him and leave them downstairs with Lori and ask her to see that Sam got them and she always did. The pecans kind of broke the ice with Sam and me. He would always have talked to me during lunch but I was too afraid of what was going to happen after lunch to join in a discussion. During the last two years I had more one on one time with Sam. We spoke of his illness, and about other Officers that were out on leave. Sam knew that I kept in close contact with some of them and he would ask me about the Officers and he was genuinely concerned. When Sam asked about the Officer I would call the Officer in question and they would be so surprised and grateful Sam had asked. One Officer in particular came back and Sam spent about 30 minutes just talking to the Officer and then Sam gave him a hug. The Officer called me and told me that Sam had spent a lot of time talking to him and about the hug. When I asked the Officer which he was more surprised at, that the Officer was not invisible and Sam cared about him or that Sam hugged him, he said all of it. Undoubtedly, that Officer will have that memory of Sam for the rest of his life. Sam again just being himself but a life lesson in that you can be a Man and can show emotion and caring and it not be considered a weakness.

One day we were asked to go to Northeast for training and I got to Northeast really early. Although Sam lived close by he had gotten to Northeast very early also. We both got out of our vehicles and simultaneously asked each other what we were doing there so early. It was during this time that I got to talk to Sam for a while before anyone else got to class. Sam mentioned how much he appreciated Director Bryan Warren as a friend and as a supervisor, the he had always supported him. Sam mentioned he liked his co-workers and he liked his job. He brushed the job off by saying it was easy but I knew that wasn’t true. To have to repeat the same information to 255 Officers and make it sound like it is the first time it has been said I knew was not easy. Sam mentioned the Officers collectively and said he wanted to keep on working. I thought then I was one of those people who wondered if Sam would retire and spend his days in the mountains, but after he told me that he wanted to keep working I thought isn’t that what we want for people in retirement to do what they love? Sam was loved at home and work, he had a job he enjoyed and was good at it and he made a difference with his life so I never again thought about whether he would be happier in retirement. I don’t recall whether Sam mentioned in passing at that time or another time, but Sam mentioned he would be 65 in July of 2015. Around May of 2015 I e-mailed Ms. Esposito to verify that I remembered correctly and Sam would be turning 65 in July. Ms. Esposito e-mailed me back and said he would be 65. I told her I was going to have a small celebration for Sam. Ms. Esposito wrote me back that she appreciated me taking care of her husband while he was downtown. I thought then, thank you for sharing your husband. So for Sam’s birthday I decided to get a cake and some pizza and meet him where Sam was



doing training and celebrate Sam. I am noted in my department for celebrating Officers and Managers and I particularly like celebrating birthdays. While others brush birthdays off I think how my life would have been affected if the person had not been born. In Sam’s case I would have missed out on a job I love and a lot of life lessons. So I was really excited about surprising Sam. Usually, though I am a planner, a little black cloud follows me around and I usually have to ask for help to accomplish my goal but this time I thought I could get it done myself. I wanted a simple cake with the Ohio State Trooper emblem (that we all knew Sam had tattooed on his forearm) on one side of the cake, and the CHS Security Patch on the other side of the cake with a saying on it. Well apparently the Copyright Police are alive and thriving in Charlotte. No Bakery would honor my request so I went to a baker that I had used before but that only spoke Spanish. I don’t speak very good Spanish, actually I don’t speak Spanish at all. But this cake was important to me so I went to the baker and described the cake and what I wanted on it. The Baker (who will remain anonymous) told me not to worry. When I arrived to pick the cake up it did have the Ohio State Patrol (Trooper) emblem as I wanted, but the Security patch was etched in lavender…not sure how that happened but I figured Sam was secure enough in his masculinity to handle the lavender…he had a wife, daughter and granddaughter so a little lavender was not going to bother him. Additionally, it had flowers….on my Trooper Cake but the baker explained to me

that flowers were meant for very important people and not gender specific. He told me he understood the cake was for someone very important to me and he had handmade the flowers. As I looked at the baker, I knew he had put a lot of time into the flowers and I did not want to hurt his feelings. I didn’t really think Sam would understand the flowers on his Trooper cake but I knew Sam would understand that the baker was doing something special for a special person. Unfortunately when I went to lift the cake I could not so I had to call Officer Robert Gibson from CMC-Pineville for assistance. Officer Gibson was just getting off a 12 hour shift and I told him I needed to transport a cake and he asked who for….when I tried to explain the cake he asked again who was it for and I said Sam and he said count me in on whatever you need. I explained I wanted to stop by for pizzas as well and Officer Gibson said whatever you need for Sam I am in. So we got the cake and the pizzas and headed to surprise Sam. When I arrived at the training

center a banner that Officer Stehle (B Team nights from Main) had helped me put up the night before was not up. I thought either vandals had gotten it or worse yet Sam had taken it down. When I walked into the training room I asked where the banner was and Sam said he took it down as he did not want to bring attention to himself. I asked him to put it back up because we were there to celebrate him. Sam was surprised and visibly touched that we would think of him. Sam thanked me and everyone several times and we all remarked how good the pizza was. We ate a lot of pizza and a lot of cake. We laughed at the size of the cake (it was supposed to be for 15 to 20 people but could easily feed 75 people) and took pictures of it to send to Ms. Esposito. The food was good but the camaraderie of the people and the honoree is what made everything special. I didn’t want to leave but Sam had to finish teaching a new hire class and Officer Gibson needed to get some sleep. I don’t think the new hire class knew at that time how lucky they were to be in on the celebration for Sam but I do believe they know today. Later Sam e-mailed a thank you again to everyone



that was involved in his birthday celebration. I e-mailed Ms. Esposito and thanked her for not telling Sam so he would be surprised. Ms. Esposito thanked me and those who celebrated her husband. She said “Sam is the last of one of the good guys”. As I sat in my Office with tears in my eyes, I thought she is so right. Sam is the John Wayne of the Westerns where the good guy wears the white hat and rides in and saves the day, or the Sgt. of Hill Street Blues Sgt. Esterhaus where he is holding a roll call and at the end says “Alright. That’s it, let’s roll and then stops everyone before saying “Let’s be careful out there”. There was never a class that I was in that Sam didn’t say to us use the information and scenarios we have given you but at the end of the day make the decision that allows you to go home at the end of your shift. The saying I put on the birthday cake was…… FROM OHIO TO NORTH CAROLINA AND ALL THE LIVES YOU TOUCHED IN BETWEEN, THANK YOU SAM AND HAPPY 65th BIRTHDAY….TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO AMEND THE MESSAGE TO THANK MS. ESPOSITO, THE ESPOSITO FAMILY AND EXTENDED FAMILY OF SAM THAT I DO NOT KNOW, FOR SHARING SAM WITH US. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE JOURNEY FROM OHIO TO NC SO WE WILL ALL HAVE GOOD MEMORIES OF SAM TO CARRY WITH US AND PLEASE KNOW WE WILL ALL MISS HIM.

Karen Ward (Airport Center)

Richard Lee Hicks, 58, of Charlotte passed away Thursday, July 9, 2015 at the W.G. Hefner VA Medical Center in Salisbury. Born in San Antonio, TX on December 29, 1956, he was the son of Carolyn Wilkinson Hicks of Millers Creek, NC and the late Ray Hicks. A veteran of the US Air Force, Richard worked as a Security Officer at Carolinas Medical Center as an officer at Mercy before transitioning to Courtesy Officer at Mercy and then CMC.

Richard was laid to rest on Friday, July 17, 2015 at Salisbury National Cemetery.

Keisha Rasheen King, 42, passed away on October 14, 2015. She was born on July 31, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York to James and Linda King. She graduated from West Charlotte Senior School in 1992 and continued her education at Shaw University. “K” as she liked to be called, joined the SeCom Team on December 3rd, 2012. Keisha has always been a devoted member of the team, available to help with coverage whenever she was called, day or night.

Scott Vogel battled Cancer for little over two years and lost his fight the evening of November 4th, 2015. Scott worked at a number of CHS sites as a member of Landmark Security prior to joining CHS Security. He joined us in 2010 and worked at CHS Kings Mountain, CHS Kannapolis ED pavillon, Airport Center and CHS - Mercy.


In Remembrance for those we lost…


Officers Prayer Lord, I ask for Courage

Courage to face and conquer my own fears

Courage to take me where others will not go

I ask for strength

Strength of body to protect others and strength of spirit to lead others

I ask for Dedication

Dedication to my job, to do it well,

Dedication to my community, to keep it safe

Give me Lord, concern for those who thrust me and

Compassion for those that need me

And please Lord, through it all, be at my side

~ Author Unknown


Documents

The Shield - Sam Esposito Editionleadership positions he would speak and make you feel welcome. Thank you Sam. Odetta Mauney (CHS SeCom Dispatcher) I remember one day during taser