Obituary of Richard L. Sampson

Two opposite feelings can be true simultaneously, as they are today. With both grief and joy in our hearts we mourn and celebrate Richard L. Sampson of Winchester, Massachusetts, “Dick” to all who knew him, who passed away on December 13, 2024, after 87 years of a remarkable life.

Dick was an entrepreneur, an industry leader, a pillar of his church and community. Most importantly, Dick was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and trusted friend to many.

Dick was born on June 16, 1937, in Dixon Illinois and grew up in nearby Rockford. His father, Louis, was a gifted civil engineer who worked on many new public school building projects. Dick’s mother Mildred was a revered school teacher and home maker.

After graduating near the top of his class at West Rockford High School, Dick came to Massachusetts in 1955 on a merit scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT, he immersed himself in the campus community, making friends, joining clubs, and was elected class president for his sophomore, junior and senior years. Dick was eventually elected permanent class president for MIT Class of 1959.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from MIT, Dick attended Harvard Business School on the Westinghouse Scholarship for Engineers, earning an MBA in 1961. His first job after Harvard was at Martin Marietta in Orlando, Florida, where he met the sunshine of his life, Gail Elizabeth “Betsy” Arnold.

Mutual friends in the local First Church of Christ, Scientist set things up and the couple clicked from the start. Dick and Betsy married in 1962. Both were only children and agreed early in their relationship that they wanted to have a big family. Like so much in their lives, Dick and Betsy achieved what they set out to do, eventually welcoming five children.

After several years in Florida, Dick was recruited back to MIT to become the Administrative Officer for Civil Engineering, Course 1. That brought the family back to Massachusetts, where they would remain.

Dick spent four years working at MIT, then moved into the investment management business, earned his Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, and analyzed companies, making buy or sell recommendations for major clients.

With a growing family and successful career, two opposite ideas were true simultaneously in Dick’s life. His professional career was soaring, yet it felt like the wrong trajectory.

Dick would often tell this story to illustrate the matter: “A thought occurred to me. What would I want written on my tombstone? I reflected on what I was doing at the time, and the success I was having, and I thought, it could read ‘Here lies Dick Sampson. He pushed papers better than most people and he died rich.’ Well, that didn’t sit right with me. I wanted something more meaningful.”

Meaning emerged from the memory of a fatal fire in Palmyra, New York, where Dick and an MIT classmate were working on a summer internship. They lived in a rooming house owned by the town’s undertaker. One terrible night, the undertaker roused the boys out of bed, asking for their help. A mother and son had died in a fast-moving fire, and he needed help bringing their bodies out of the hearse and into to the funeral home. Dick carried the young boy in his arms. (Video: http://bit.ly/3VIFQNz)

In the1950’s most homes had no smoke detectors or fire alarm systems. Indeed, the industry was in its infancy. But Dick couldn’t let it go. The idea that just one smoke detector could have alerted the family in time to escape alive smoldered in his subconscious for years.

Dick always wanted to be an entrepreneur, so he asked Betsy what she thought about him starting a fire and security alarm company, to help save lives. She was all-in, and when the time came for Dick to quit his investment management job and try to build a new company from scratch, Betsy went back to teaching school full-time to help support the family. (Video: https://bit.ly/4iBwi0J)

What is now American Alarm and Communications started in 1971, operating from the Sampson home in Winchester. It has grown to become a major electronic security and life-safety systems company in New England, with 325 employees spread over seven branches in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Sampson family still owns the company. It’s led by the second generation of the family, supported by an accomplished and dedicated team who respond to alarms every day, saving lives and property, with fire alarms the top “save” category every year.

Along the way, Dick was a leader in the emerging electronic security and life-safety industry, both in Massachusetts and nationally. He helped to create a professional licensure program for security system installation in Massachusetts, co-founded the Security Network of America (now NetOne), and fought to prevent mandated alarm signal delays advocated by some in the industry to ease their problems with false alarms—an idea Dick often called “unconscionable.” He also worked through the ranks of the international Central Station Alarm Association leadership (now The Monitoring Association), culminating in a term as its president.

Both Dick and Betsy have been pillars of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Winchester, Massachusetts. Over some 60 years, Dick taught Sunday school and held virtually all leadership and lay positions in the church. He was selected to serve on the Finance Committee of The Mother Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston for a number of years in the 90’s. Dick also served as a Trustee at Longyear Museum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts from 2008-2014.

Dick was an active member of the Winchester Rotary club for more than 40 years, serving in many capacities including president. He made the Rotary’s Four Way Test of the things we think, say or do the core values of his company and promulgated it widely, giving out hundreds of marble desktop plaques inscribed with the test to friends and colleagues. (Link: Four Way Test | Rotary Club of Winchester)

Dick was a Winchester Town Meeting Member for 12 years, and also served as the town’s Civil Defense Director for several years, including during the Blizzard of 1978. He was active as a Boy Scout leader during that era.

In addition to his wife of 62 years, Betsy, Dick is survived by his children Richard Sampson Jr. and wife Martha, Wells Sampson and wife Sarah, Louis Sampson and partner Tammy Johnson, Nancy Sayegh, Mary Sampson and wife Jade Cummings. Dick also is survived by 14 grandchildren, Beth Sampson, Sarah Sampson, Juli Sampson and partner James McGorty, Annie King, husband Andrew Hunter and daughter Phoebe, Lucy King and husband John Savino, Gracie Sampson, Anna Sampson, Claire Sampson, Austin Sayegh and wife Angie, Amanda Sayegh and husband Ibrahim Cicek, Christian Sayegh, Charlie Sayegh Jr., Ella Sampson and Kyle Sampson.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Saturday, December 21, at 10 a.m. at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Winchester, 114 Church Street. Reception to follow with light hors d’oeuvres at Winchester Country Club at 468 Mystic St, Arlington, MA.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dick’s honor to the following organizations, or to the charity of your choice.

• Camps Newfound and Owatonna in Harrison, ME. https://www.newfound-owatonna.com/giving/

• Longyear Museum in Chestnut Hill, MA. https://www.longyear.org/support/

• Rotary International. https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give