Ted Sampley passes away at 62

National and local political activist, decorated veteran, POW advocate, businessman and master potter Ted Sampley passed away Tuesday. He was 62.

Sampley, who was recovering from heart surgery a week earlier, was experiencing difficulties from the surgery at the Veteran's Hospital in Durham on Tuesday. He died while being rushed to surgery.

His sudden passing surprised many in Kinston.

"This is a shock to me," said master shipbuilder Alton Stapleford, the architect of the CSS Neuse II, which Sampley helped bring to fruition. "It's really hard to comprehend right now."

Sampley served several tours of duty in Vietnam in the U.S. Army and won four Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, among other honors. He was honorably discharged during 1973.

His work with prisoner of war and missing in action groups didn't start in earnest until 1983, when he led groups demanding that the United States put pressure on Vietnam to release POWs or explain what happened to them.

Kinston City Councilman Joe Tyson said he first met Sampley at an American Legion gathering during 1993. Tyson said he quickly found common ground with him as they discussed their respective experiences serving in Vietnam.

The two men regularly interacted over the years through Tyson's involvement in veterans' organizations, local tourism development and the city government.

"I think that in the long run, Lenoir County and Kinston will miss a great patriot, warrior, an outstanding soldier and outstanding American," he said of Sampley. "He was not only a soldier for the Army, but he was a soldier for Lenoir County when it came to tourism and small business."

Although he and Sampley - a staunch conservative - remained on opposite sides of the political spectrum, Tyson said they had a mutual friendship. He said Sampley invited him to help drive the first nails when construction began on the CSS Neuse II.

"Ted was smart, energetic, forward-looking ... and he was an individual that I had the utmost respect for, for his dedicated loyalty, patriotism and Americanism," Tyson said.

Sampley was well-known on the national stage. He formed Web sites and led veteran groups against the candidacies of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh mentioned Sampley on his national radio broadcast in 2004 for an incident with Kerry when the senator from Massachusetts allegedly gave Sampley a vulgar finger gesture in front of school children at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Sampley also helped create the Web site "Vietnam Veterans against John McCain."

Sampley was also busy on the local front. During the past decade or so, Sampley helped found the local Salute festival, started construction on the CSS Neuse II and helped begin the National Walk of Honor at Neuseway Park that also honors veterans.

He helped champion the rebirth of downtown Kinston, particularly Herritage Street, where he owned several businesses at various times.

"He wanted to see the downtown area grow, especially Herritage Street," Mary Beth Dawson, who helped co-found the annual Salute to veterans festival with Sampley, said. "He tried to infuse downtown with tourism."

Four-term Kinston mayor O.A. "Buddy" Ritch said Sampley's two main contributions to Kinston were his efforts to revitalize Herritage Street "from nothing to the prominence it has now" and his advocacy on the part of missing U.S. service members in Vietnam.

"He would swear on a stack of Bibles that we still had men missing in Vietnam," Ritch said. "That was his main goal in life."

It was Sampley's heart that many of his friends will never forget.

"Ted had one of the biggest hearts of anyone I have ever met," Dawson said. "He would put up a very gruff exterior, but if anyone ever broke through it, he had a heart of gold."

Former Free Press Managing Editor Lee Raynor said: "He was someone you could always count on and he didn't wait to be asked. If he saw a need ... he was there to help you. There's no one who will ever replace him."

Funeral arrangements for Sampley have not yet been set.

Staff writers Sarah Campbell and David Anderson, along with Assistant Managing Editor Nancy S. Saunders, contributed to this report. Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at (252) 559-1074 or at bhanks@freedomenc.com. Check out Bryan's blog at http://bhanks.encblogs.com.

"He was a visionary person who had some great ideas for Kinston and Lenoir County. He was willing to take risks for things he believed in."

Kinston/Lenoir Chamber of Commerce official Jan Barwick

"He's done a lot of good around this community, in things you can and can't see. I found him to be a man of his word who was very passionate and interested in this community."

Former N.C. House Representative Stephen LaRoque

"This world is much, much poorer without Ted Sampley in it."

Former Free Press Managing Editor Lee Raynor

"I didn't agree with him on his politics and I didn't agree with him on a lot of things, but he was there when you needed him. He was passionate about his convictions, whether you agreed with him or not."

Terah Archie, director of Arendell Parrott Academy public relations and the former director of PRIDE

Share your favorite memories of Ted Sampley by going to Kinston.com.