Nice Guys Finish….FIRST!
Here’s how an enduring faith helped Sam Golden
battle prostate cancer at age 45, and win!

The crowd attending the Third Annual Conference on Enhancing Black Leadership at Rice University’s Jessie H. Jones Graduate School of Management sat in respectful silence as the keynote speaker shared the details of his career success. There was something else on his mind that he also intended to share, however; a message that was so powerful that there was an audible intake of breath when he got up close and personal at the end of his remarks…

Samuel P. Golden is the kind of person who provokes a strong, almost overpowering first reaction. He has an infectious, sincere smile that reaches his eyes, and a no-nonsense aura about him that lets you know right away that this is a man who means business. He speaks softly and well, and has a way of going straight to the point, eschewing obfuscation. Underneath his professional persona, Sam Golden has a heart as big as Texas and he has plenty of room in it to help those less fortunate than himself. This reflects the way he was raised, and the strongly held values and principles that direct his life.

Sam was brought up by parents he thought were being tough and unreasonable, but who he now knows were caring enough to instill in him uncompromising principles, philosophies, values and beliefs that have guided his life for 50 years. He credits his grandmother, a woman with no formal education but one of the wisest people he has ever known, with helping him to know what is truly important in life, and how to make choices accordingly. The secret to these principles, Sam confides, is that they have allowed him to live a life with joy at its center. This joy is much different than happiness, he says, because peace radiates from its core.

“I’ll always be grateful that my parents reared me in a God-fearing home; they carried me to church whether I wanted to go or not. As it has turned out, this early grounding in religion subsequently became the concrete and rebar to my life, and when I needed it most, I was able to draw from this wellspring of hope and faith.”

Sam finished his undergraduate studies at North Texas State University (University of North Texas) in the spring of 1974, and accepted an entry-level position as Assistant National Bank Examiner assigned to the

Houston office. “I was outfitted with two Johnny Carson double knit suits, and traveled throughout southeast Texas learning from top to bottom how banks operated and why,” he explained, “from bank operations, to how they are funded, how they are managed - well, and in some cases, not so well.”

“I was blessed with wonderful mentors in those early days. There were three middle- aged senior managers with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency - or OCC, as most call it - who genuinely cared about me as a person, and who nurtured me along in my career. Their willingness to share sound management practices with me, and to guide me in pursuing an upward career path made a world of difference, and not a day goes by that I don’t mentally thank them for their invaluable assistance.”

The late seventies and early eighties in Texas banking was a period of exuberant growth where many business people, including bankers, thought that the economic cycle had been mothballed. At the time, Sam says he truly did not understand the breath of opportunity that this period afforded. The turnover rate at the OCC was high with many examiners opting to take some of the lucrative employment opportunities that existed within the banking community. The rate of asset growth experienced by many banks was staggering, and in many cases, exceeded 40 to 50 percent increases each year. Loans were made to people who possessed little experience in operating businesses in industries that they did not understand. It was a wild time, Sam remembers, a time in which many banks experienced an array of problems.

At the ripe and tender age of 29, Sam asked for the chance to head the review of the lending function during the annual exam of one of the largest banks in the State of Texas. While he fully expected to be told “no,” he got the assignment - a real chance to succeed big, or to fall equally big on his face. As this opportunity expanded, he served as the Examiner-in-Charge of the entire bank and, at the age of 32, Sam’s feet were planted firmly on the path to a successful career. He was promoted to the position of field manager and soon supervised the staff assigned to the OCC’s Houston office. (The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is an independent and self-sufficient agency of the U.S. Treasury, not appropriated by tax dollars. It has the task of effectively supervising the national banking industry that consists of approximately 2,500 national banks with combined assets of 3.5 trillion dollars.)

“Conditions in the banking industry in the southwest had become very difficult,” Sam remembered. “So difficult that many of them simply did not survive. It was during this period that I was entrusted with examining some of this country’s largest and most complex banks and some very troubled institutions. This often resulted in extended periods of travel that took me away from those dearest to me, my family. And, while I kept getting assignments of increasing responsibility, titles and remuneration reflecting this advancement was not coincidental. Looking back now,” he said, “I am grateful that I did not become jaded or discontent, or lose focus on what I had identified as the ‘prize’.”

“As a young man starting out in the U.S. Treasury organization, I established a goal way back in 1974,” Golden explained, “and that was to earn my way up the organizational ladder. I approached it as a one-step-at-a-time process based on a foundation of simple principles and short-tem objectives. It is a journey that has sometimes been traveled on straight and narrow throughways, and - at other times - along twisting byways with detours and stop signs. As an African American, some of my paths were different from those of my white counterparts, and I say without rancor that I did not progress up the ladder in the same way or at the same pace. This is where my mentors became extremely instrumental; they helped me avoid the damaging trap of ratcheting down performance or premature departure from the organization because of frustration with the ‘good ole boy’ system. They were honest and nakedly candid with me, and provided wise counsel that allowed me to avoid dead-end jobs, and they spoke up for me when I was unjustly attacked or stereotyped by others.”

Instead of moving on, Sam focused on gaining confidence, competence and credibility - his three C’s. He laughs today when he says that facing disappointment during the middle years of his career was not accomplished without pain, and he credits his wife, Valerie, with providing the support and encouragement he needed to prevail. With her help, Sam progressed to achieving the next level -- his “three D’s” - desire, discipline and determination.

“It is my firm believe that life is difficult, filled with challenges and opportunities, but it does not have to be hard or excessively complicated unless we make it so. I suggest that people who want to get ahead learn and understand the unwritten, but real rules of the culture within their organization,” Sam recommended. “I’m not implying that folks participate in what can be an ugly, cut-throat climb-on-the-other-guy’s-back-to-get-ahead climate that exists in some companies and organizations. What I am saying is that if you don’t understand the rules, it’s real hard to play the game.

Some people call it being naïve or Pollyannaish, but I never focus on failure. I believe in informed and rational risk-taking because failure to do so permeates complacency and complacency cultivates stagnation. I believe in being driven by a rational desire to excel, coupled with the willingness to prepare. This was instilled in me by my parents and reinforced by coaches who preached that ‘Luck is Preparation meeting Opportunity.’ We are never guaranteed that opportunity will surface, but we have an obligation to be ready.”

Sam Golden was indeed ready when he applied for - and was appointed to -- the newly created position of Ombudsman for the OCC in 1993. The senior-level assignment involves functioning as a binding arbitrator in situations where bankers and bank examiners disagree on the conclusions of investigations. He says he will never forget the call from the former Comptroller of the Currency, Gene Ludwig, when he invited Sam to accept a promotion to sit on the OCC’s 9-member Executive Committee.

“He said two things: one, ‘you are ready, you have earned it and will add significant value to the organization;’ and two, ‘I will not place you on an island.’ At this point, I knew that all those “C’s and D’s” had paid off. I can tell you that being in the prime of your life and realizing a dream is sweet stuff, and a responsibility I didn’t take lightly. Sometimes,” Sam said, “it is at just this kind of victory moment that we are challenged most…and sometimes in ways for which we had not prepared.” Sam strongly believes that you can’t be of assistance to anyone without paying attention to your own well-being. He has long been a proponent of annual physicals and practices what he preaches. Sam will tell you that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be here today.

In 1997, in follow up to his annual physical exam, his doctor was not comfortable with the results of Sam’s PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test which was slightly elevated. After the biopsy that followed, Sam was stunned to be diagnosed with prostate cancer - a disease he knew little about, and one that he assumed happened only to men much older than he was.

Sam approached this situation as he has all the other challenges in his life…with faith and determination.

“I had gone for my annual physical,” he explained, “and the doctor told me that my PSA was slightly higher than it had been previously. At his suggestion, I had another test a few weeks later, and that one was slightly higher. The third PSA test taken two weeks after that, was down by 2 points. My doctor suggested that we wait 6 months or so, take another PSA and go from there. Again, the number was back up, plus some.”

At this point, Sam’s doctor suggested a biopsy that found no cancer, but some atypical cells. Another 6-7 weeks later, another PSA test was up to 5.0, and the doctor called Sam back for another biopsy. This time, they found cancer in the center of the prostate, even though it had not been detected by a digital rectal exam. His doctor referred him to urologist

Peter Scardino, M.D., who was then with Baylor College of Medicine, and Sam was seen that very afternoon.

“I know this sounds strange,” Sam said, remembering that difficult time, “but I was never scared. I can honestly say that I didn’t fear death. I thought more or less, what will be, will be. I’ve lived a wonderful life…I didn’t feel cheated that my time might be cut short. I was concerned about my family though…I didn’t want to miss being here to watch them grow up and have families of their own. I had always planned on being here for them as they grew up.”

“Valerie and I decided not to tell the children that I was going in for surgery until almost the last minute. I didn’t want them worrying about me one more minute than was necessary. They reacted as well as could be expected…strong, bolstered by faith. This was the ultimate test of our family’s faith. I simply told God that I trusted that whatever He wanted, would happen…that I was ready.”

Sam said he slept well the night before surgery, so well in fact that Valerie had to rush him along to get to St. Luke’s in time for the surgery, which Sam emphasizes, is the only course of treatment he even seriously considered. He told his doctors to simply take it out (prostatectomy), because he didn’t “want the cancer growing back.”

“When I woke up, Valerie was right beside me, and I knew when I looked in her eyes that everything was going to be fine…just fine. And, because that was true, I know that I’m still here because I’ve got something important to do. I don’t want to be remembered as a good negotiator or a successful businessman. I want to be remembered as a man for whom life is not all about him, but about other people. I want to make a difference…to reach out and touch lives. And, I want to be able to know that I’ve saved another man ’s life because he got tested after he heard about my experience with this disease.”

As Sam Golden concluded his remarks to the prestigious audience in Houston, he urged those attending not to take their health for granted.

“I would not be here today,” he said, “if it were not for the care and diligence of my doctor and the grace of God. My prostate cancer was discovered in time for a cure and I can enjoy a normal life with my family. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for the opportunity to be here, and I can tell you that I do indeed value every single moment I have been given.”

“Cancer is a defining experience,” Sam says with feeling, “and while I don’t recommend it, those of us who share this disease do gain a new perspective on life. You see much more clearly what’s important and what’s not. It became crystal clear to me that - as a cancer survivor - I have an obligation to help educate others about the disease, and specifically to spread the word that African American men are materially more at risk than men of other races. The statistics are pretty grim: African American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world, with approximately 25,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Prostate cancer accounts for almost 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed in African American men; we are more than twice as likely to have prostate cancer as white men; we are stricken at an earlier age; and we are also more likely to die from the disease.”