“Guard your Honor” — Q&A with Sam Davis

We recently sat down with Sam Davis, a 43-year resident of Buckingham County. He has served the citizens of Buckingham for over 25 years, as a member of the Arvonia Volunteer Fire Dept. and the Buckingham County Volunteer Rescue Squad. Sam is a father of six, (two from his first marriage, Sam’s first wife passed away in 2010, and four adopted children with his current marriage). Sam is currently married to the former Christy Palmore of Buckingham.

Sam is currently an employee of the Buckingham County Sheriff’s Office with over 15 years service. He is in charge of communications and manages a staff of twelve. He deals daily with warrants, protective orders, capias, and other legal documents. Sam is a certified as a Virginia Dept. of Criminal Justice Services General Instructor and a Virginia State Police Certified VCIN (Virginia Criminal Information Network) Instructor.

Sam has recently announced his candidacy for Clerk of the Circuit Court of Buckingham County in the upcoming special election to be held on Nov. 6, 2018 to fill the unexpired term of the Hon. Malcolm A. Booker Jr. He looks forward to serving the citizens of Buckingham as Clerk of the Circuit Court in a professional and fiscally conservative manner.

What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

Books that I have given most as a gift are “Beyond Band of Brothers, The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters” by Dick Winters and Cole Kingseed. To be able to get into the head of a true leader is something that does not happen often. To understand what and why they make the decisions they make, yet still retain a semblance of humanity is rare. Major Winters led his men from D-Day through to the end of World War 2.

While we are not at war, the traits that made Major Winters an effective leader can be applied today in the work place.

Another book that I give a lot is the Bible. Why, well if there is something bothering you or there is a question on your heart, you can find the answer in the Bible. No other book written is a better guide to how we should live our lives.

Who is the one person that has most influenced your life and/or career?

There are so many that come to mind. Leonard Tyree, now deceased who really got me to seriously get involved in emergency services. Gen. George Patton, who was quoted “Lead me, Follow me, or get the hell out of my way”. My first wife, who battled cancer for eight years and never gave in to despair, even during her final days.

Most importantly though is my father, He taught me that a person is only as good as their word.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

An RCA HD yagi over the air television antennae. Yeah I know what your thinking, but television takes up entirely too much time. That time is better spent with the family or actually doing something worthwhile.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?

I believe that every choice we make or situation we find ourselves in has a purpose. My goal is to always try to learn from what I am doing at the time. Looking back on the last twenty years I can see how, the knowledge I’ve gleaned from one job or experience has enabled me to overcome or complete my responsibilities at the next level as my adult life has progressed.

Favorite failure? Davis Tire & Auto Center or DTAC, Inc. for short. I learned quite a few things over that six year period. First and foremost was not to work with your spouse! Business partners should not be family.

If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it — metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions — what would it say and why?

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Why? As a Christian it goes without saying, it is after all the “Great Commission”

“Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself… Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards.” ― Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign

Why? Again, a person is only as good as their word. Honor is becoming a rare commodity these days.

What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?

That would be the children we adopted. To see how far they have come from where they were when we got them is priceless.

What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?

What constitutes unusual or absurd? I consider myself conservative and really don’t go out for any crazy stuff. Just find something you like to do that brings you some sort of inner peace. It could be fly tying, cooking, working on a car, or basically anything.

In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?

Accepting the fact that I cannot do it ALL by myself, no matter how hard I try. Surround yourself with the right people and you can accomplish anything.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”?

Don’t expect everything to work like your professors told you it would. Listen to those around you, from the lowest hourly worker to management, there is always useful knowledge to be had at every level of the corporate world. Be flexible and willing to think outside of the box, sometimes it’s where the best ideas come from!

What advice should they ignore? Ignore anything from someone that is constantly negative, heck stay away from that person as much as possible.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven new recruit about to enter the “public service”?

I would give the same answer as I gave above. What advice should they ignore? Again, see above answer.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

“We can’t change things”, or “Stay with proven technology”’.

Recommendations are like opinions, everyone has one. The biggest thing for considering advice or recommendations to be good or bad is to consider the source.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? What new realizations and/or approaches helped? Any other tips?

I have no idea really. I just try to balance the workplace vs. family life better.

In the last five years, what changes and or trends has more affected your job? What new realizations and/or approaches helped? Any other tips?

Technology has changed greatly. Heck, it seems to change on a weekly or monthly basis.

Working with the younger generation also has its challenges. The work ethic or company loyalty for lack of a better term does not seem as prevalent as it once was. In order to combat this I try to relate to my employees and stand behind them whenever necessary and to keep the work place as stress free as possible. Sometimes I feel like my employees are more loyal to me than they are the organization.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

I simply get up and walk away, take a few deep breaths, and try to clear my mind for a few minutes. I have found that more often than not when I go back to the task at hand things make more sense, and sometimes just seem to fall into place.