Deft Strokes, Nimble Touches
The first thing one invariably notices about Sam Butcher is his smile. It is arresting with a somewhat precocious, child-like quality, with absolutely no guile in it. Open, straight, true-to-form. More than just projecting a jovial mien, his smile radiates an inner joy, an abiding faith, and compassion. It is an enchanting smile, an enchantment from which there is apparently no escape.
He speaks with a gentle voice that exudes fortitude, breaks into spontaneous laughter during light banters, and always greets people with a warm smile even while he walks with a purposive gait as if he is always in a hurry to get somewhere, fast.
And he has, indeed, gone a long, long way.
This selfless gentleman refused to be subjugated by poverty and rose from the ranks of the underprivileged by praying with moving feet. His determination to succeed was fueled by his unpleasant experiences with the privations and scarcity of material comforts. But the adversities and harsh conditions of life never touched his steadfast faith.
In his salad days, his pastor asked their congregation to bring something for the poor children as a Christmas gift. He decided to give his teddy bear, a treasure for one so young and as a consequence, something that he had difficulty parting with. But tenacity gave way the munificence of this kind spirit. Later, he came to realize that the pastor’s instruction was actually addressed to the adult members of their congregation. Much to his chagrin, he thought about retrieving his teddy bear from the boxes at the church foyer, but by the time he had an opportunity to do so, the boxes have been carted away.
This was one of the many subtle turning points in the life of Sam Butcher.
Samuel John Butcher was born in Jackson, Michigan in the early morning of 01 January 1939 as the third child in a brood of five. Sam’s birth, shortly after the New Year’s Eve festivities, was an overture, an intimation of his eventual fame. But Sam is always quick and consistent in acknowledging his humble roots.
The family moved shortly after his birth to Redding, California, where the young Sam’s nascent to fame began by drawing and sketching under the dining room table, mostly on scraps of paper. While his family and friends recognized his talent, they were unable to support him with materials because they were so poor. But not only was Sam talented, he was also on the ball and found rolls of paper to draw on in a factory dump near his home.
At seven years young, his mother asked him to paint something for an aunt in Florida who was getting married. He painted a guardian angel because this was her favorite. The painting is now at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage.
Even in those salad days, Sam already painted scenes from the Bible. He eventually pursued formal art training after high school when he won a scholarship to the College of Arts & Crafts in Berkeley.
Sam Butcher’s career as an artist began with a stint as a “chalk board minister,” dexterously using illustrations to teach young children about God. Using his talent for the greater glory of God, his work was, in a decade’s time, seen by millions of viewers on “Tree Top House” which was produced by the International Children Evangelism Fellowship in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he was employed as an artist.
Sam’s professional career really took off when, in 1974, he joined forces with a friend and started the Jonathan & David inspirational greeting card business, featuring the distinctively unique teardrop-eyed children, which he has been drawing for kith and kin. He called these illustrations “Precious Moments” because they projected loving, caring and sharing in everyday situations. Five years later, Enesco Corporation transformed the artwork into porcelain bisque figurines, which became a phenomenon in the collectibles industry.
The first figure produced was of a little boy standing by the child in the manger, aptly called The Little Shepherd Boy. The message Sam wanted to convey in this artwork was “Adesti Fidelis” (Come Let Us Adore Him). Fact is, Sam has always believed that he was The Little Shepherd Boy.
While filming a promotional material that documented his work, Sam Butcher drew a piece entitled “I can’t spell success without U”. At the end of the clip, he turned to the cameraman and asked, “Is there something wrong with this artwork?” “Did I spell success correctly?” And then he went to his bible instead of a dictionary, turned the pages, got to Joshua 1:8 and confirmed that his spelling of success had one C missing. Again, he turned to the cameraman and said: “This piece is called ‘I can’t spell success without U’ and as for myself, I can’t spell success, period!”
The self-deprecating humor notwithstanding, Sam Butcher is one of the world’s most successful artist-businessman, with his creation, Precious Moments, acknowledged as one of the most successful licensed brands in the $192 billion worldwide licensing industry and the world’s most successful brand in the $21 billion (U.S.) giftwares/collectibles industry.
With a powerful emotional connection with its consumers, Precious Moments is considered one of the most attractive licensing properties in the industry. The essence of the brand is “loving, caring and sharing”.
Precious Moments sold over US$7 billion since its inception, and has dominated the gift and collectibles industry since then. Not surprisingly, Precious Moments has been consistently rated the #1 brand in collectibles over the past fifteen years, enjoying an 80% recognition rate among women over the age of 18 years who have given a gift in the last year.
In 1988, Sam was presented with a Special Recognition Award from the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED). The same organization named Sam “Artist of the Year” in 1992 and 1996.
In 1989, Sam began what he calls his life’s work—the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri. The Chapel features a Precious Moments version of Michelangelo’s “Creation” and lives up to the core purpose of Precious Moments, which is “to touch the hearts of people in a personal way by spreading goodness throughout the world”.
Sam considers the chapel as the most challenging work he has ever done. Inspired by the works of renaissance masters, he painted with darker colors, providing more depth and creating much more drama to his body of work. He wanted to bring the viewer into the picture—to feel the emotions, the drama, the loneliness, the things that took place in the lives of these people in the bible, which is the general theme of the artworks found at the chapel.
This monumental turning point in his life is considered as the most inspirational and significant work of his life.
In December 2001, Samuel J. Butcher spearheaded the organization of SAMPAGUITA GARDENS, a boutique resort in New Washington, Aklan that began commercial operations in June 2003. This resort is a major investment and is recognized as a landmark in the Travel & Trade Industry. Today, Sampaguita Gardens provides employment for hundreds of Aklanons as well as training opportunities for students from nearby provinces.
As a boutique resort, Sampaguita Gardens’ world class amenities, facilities and services has scored many firsts: the first all-year round Christmas store in the Philippines; the first Butterfly Farm in Western Visayas; the first fine dining restaurant in mainland Aklan, Oriental Flavors Restaurant, that offers a fusion of Thai & Chinese cuisine; and the first to have a world-class Spa.
Sampaguita Gardens would not be complete without its own Precious Moments Meditation Chapel, which opened in October 2006. It is smaller than the one in Carthage, but just like the previous one, it has likewise been meticulously hand painted by Sam.
The resort is an attraction in itself, and true to its Vision, is focused on a dynamic and motivated organization that continues to grow and prosper as it provides world-class amenities and services to an ever-growing clientele.
The Mission of Sampaguita Gardens is to operate a world-class resort that values customer satisfaction at every encounter, providing a seamless experience from reservation to departure, and, cognizant of its role as a good corporate citizen, Sampaguita Gardens is committed to its employees as it moves forward to achieve superior return on shareholders investment.
Sampaguita Gardens won as Western Visayas’ Best Resort (Class AA) during the Regional Tourism Excellence Award in 2007 and 2006 from the Department of Tourism Region VI; also as Most Outstanding Garden Resort from the Global Awards for Marketing Excellence 2005 (Symbol of Agora Excellence) by the Philippine Marketing Practitioners Association, Inc., BusinessAsia Magazine, the Asia-Pacific Global Awards for Marketing Excellence, Inc., and the Agora Institute for Marketing Excellence; and Most Outstanding Resort (Visayas Awards) during the 2005 Philippine Marketing Excellence Awards, an honor bestowed by the Philippine Marketing Excellence Awards Institute, the Asian Institute of Marketing and Entrepreneurship and the Marketing Insights Magazine.
The Samuel J. Butcher Foundation has quietly helped innumerable individuals, families and organizations here in the Province of Aklan and in other parts of the country as well. The Foundation has regular but low profile projects and activities in keeping with Mr. Butcher’s selfless character and personal wish that the left hand would not know what the right hand giveth.
Today, Samuel J. Butcher is the titular head of Seven Companies operating under the Samuel J. Butcher Family of Companies as he continues to touch and make a difference in the lives of thousands of people.
In recognition of his innumerable contributions especially towards tourism development in the province of Aklan, Samuel J. Butcher has been named, in February 2007, as an Adopted Son of Aklan by virtue of a Resolution from the Provincial Legislature.
*This article was based on notes taken from the videos entitled “Sam Shares” and “Sharing Christmas” produced by Enesco as well as materials from Precious Moments, Inc. (PMI) and Precious Moments Company, Inc. (PMC).
**Postscript. When this article was presented to Sam Butcher, he returned it to me with this inscription on the margin: Dear Glenn: This is wonderful. I will share this with our people in the States. It is far superior to their work. Thank you. SamB
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