Lexington, KY - "Sam Barnes was a good and decent man. A true gentleman."
With the words of Fifth Third Bank Senior Vice President Jay Cowden begins a brief narrative about the good nature of a man whose all-too-brief time among the people of Lexington made true the words of writer and theologian Frederick Beuchner, as recited by Calvary Baptist Church Pastor, Dr. Robert Baker: "When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you - that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are."
Cowden and Baker were among the many business, civic and political leaders who filled the church on High Street in downtown Lexington on July 28 for a noon memorial service to honor the Fifth Third Bank president whose death at 63 while swimming off St. Simons Island, Ga., stunned this central Kentucky city.
"I first met Sam when I worked at United Way. He had just moved to town," recalled Marnie Clay Holoubek, speaking about her beloved mentor in a telephone conversation prior to the service. "My father died 15 years ago in '94. I met Sam in '95. After I got to know him at United Way, he became the person that I would go to for the types of questions that I would ask my dad."
The United Way was just one of the more than two dozen civic, charitable and business organizations the Missouri native and Army veteran had served since arriving in Lexington in 1993 to assume the position of president/CEO of Fifth Third Bank of Central Kentucky. Other commitments on his part included serving as past director of the Good Samaritan Foundation; past chair and director of LexArts; director of the University of Kentucky Business Partnership Foundation; trustee of Transylvania University; past chair of the Sanders Brown Center on Aging Foundation; and director of the 2010 World Equestrian Games.
Most recently, at the nadir of the recent banking industry crisis, when most in his industry were minding tightened purse strings, Barnes delivered the resources of his own organization with a check in the amount of $750,000 to ensure that, in time for the Games, Cheapside Park in downtown Lexington would be transformed by a steel and glass pavilion that would be named for Fifth Third Bank. Now, a quiet campaign is underway to have the structure renamed in honor of Sam Barnes, and we will keep you informed of its progress.
"How fortunate for us was the day that Sam decided to call Lexington home," Cowden continued as he addressed the crowd gathered at Calvary.
"When he came in, he just lit the place on fire. He was such a tremendous leader. It was as if he had been in town forever, knew everybody," said Holoubek, recalling the nature of Barnes' early days as chair of the United Way of the Bluegrass. "We had so much fun together. I honestly can't think of a time when I laughed more. He really let his guard down. He did a dunking booth in front of Fifth Third Bank. We would laugh so hard that we would double over, and that's what started our friendship."
Sometimes it's best to just strip things down to the simple truth: Sam Barnes was a good guy. That humility and humor so many speak of were the ever-present traits that began the many Sam Barnes friendships in and around Lexington.
"Sam Barnes was an honest and humble man. He was the kind of person who reminds us all how we should live our lives," noted Cowden, not only a senior executive under Barnes for roughly 15 years, but also a close friend of the Barnes family.
"Sam could not have become the man he was without the unflagging strength and support of his wife, Sue," Cowden noted. "When we think of Sam, we think of Sam and Sue."
"Sue was right behind him," Marnie Holoubek offered. "Every single thing. She was kind of under the radar, but they really were terrific together. Sue once told me that they never argued - ever. I thought that was so telling. They had a very strong bond."
Commenting on Sam Barnes' legacy at the memorial service was commentator Reed Polk, himself a minister who had counseled Barnes and who recalled his own father's words of wisdom before he departed his hometown to head out into the world: "Son, always try to show up," he was told, adding, "Sam Barnes showed up without ever needing to show off."
"He was the first one to the table for a lot of things - and not necessarily looking for credit," said Holoubek, who could speak from firsthand experience, having herself taken a leadership role to successfully push for the new Legacy Trail that will stretch from Lexington's East End neighborhood to the Kentucky Horse Park. "He was the first corporation to contribute to the trail, and I don't think he ever said, 'Where's our logo on your paperwork?' or whatever."
It was a matter of style. You can't fake sincerity. There was a genuineness about Sam Barnes. There was an easiness in this man's manner that encouraged others to feel comfortable in their own skin.
"When Sam entered a room, he commanded your attention. Not with a sense of power, but with a sense of warmth, kindness and integrity," Cowden said.
Lexington has, indeed, lost a dear and wonderful friend. But it also has lost a precious model for a way in which others can be inspired to realize their potential.
"He said over and over to me that in order to ask people for their leadership, you have to yourself be a leader - that you have to step up and be the role model, if you want people to do the same," remembered Marnie Holoubek.
"Samuel G. Barnes has been, is being and will continue to be remembered," noted Baker. "Because you good people who knew Sam and loved Sam carry something of who he was, and is, with you. He has left some very positive marks of who he was - and is - on who you people are."
Editor's note:
The passing of Sam Barnes left in its wake a particularly stunned arts community. He was especially adept at building bridges between business and the arts. In launching a 2006 endowment campaign for the Lexington Philharmonic, Barnes noted that keeping business in Lexington turns on whether or not the community is willing to provide its residents with a "quality of life that includes artistic and cultural enrichment activities." Barnes and his wife, Sue, sat down with Business Lexington arts columnist Christine Huskisson in May of 2009 to share their views. A podcast of the conversation is available for listening online at http://www.bizlex.com/Site.Podcasts.html#15158.113117. Please scroll down the page to find the interview.