Alex Calams March 29, 2010

Always do the right thing.

James Alexander Calams sits at the head of the dinner table in his house, fatigued and ready to
close out another busy Sunday. His heavy head rests on one hand, supporting his cheek as his
elbow connects to the table that lies in front of him. His glazed-over eyes are the most obvious
indicator that he could fall asleep at any moment now-- the light above the table is capitalizing
on their sensitivity and causing them to water a little. He rubs them from time to time to keep a
level conscious. It's not even ten o'clock yet but his day has been one of constant busywork,
meeting obligations to his loved ones in preparation for another week that lies ahead. Serving 21
consecutive years past as a law enforcement officer, some time ago he would have had much
more to handle, but now Calams finds himself singularly serving and protecting those closest to
him-- his family.

"I give more to my family and others than I give myself," said Calams with a stern glare toward
the corner of the room. "I guess that would be considered a character flaw-- financially I'd like
to see that change as all my children grow and begin providing for themselves."

Calams spends nearly every day and night during the week working to offer his family literally
everything he is worth, bringing no doubt to the fact that he is a very unselfish man. More often
than not, he finds himself with nearly nothing in his wallet once all the bills have been paid. He
nevertheless maintains a sense of positivity in this regard-- never once does his face spot a frown
as he divulges his life's pressures. He seems uncharacteristically proud of the adversities he
conquers on a daily basis. Other men could very likely crumble from such hardships, and
Calams knows this.

"I'm always three steps ahead; I anticipate the desired outcome," he confidently said. "I learned
to be so driven from my father-- he always taught me to never give up and work toward your
goals. Even when others say 'no,' you say ‘yes.’ Not everyone is cut out to handle a lifestyle like
that, but it's how I was raised."

Just as a strong tree that towers over those below it, all that embodies Calams' admirable
character is traceable to his roots. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois, a city with people he
described as humble and giving-- a rare quality seen among those living along the west coast, he
Alex Calams March 29, 2010

asserts. These personality traits, among many more, were instilled into his personality at a very
young age and still shine through all these years later. Living the typical lifestyle of a young boy
in the early 1960s, Calams spent most of his time up to early adulthood in a much simpler
America, enjoying its favorite pastime, baseball. He has always been an avid historian, as well.
World War II has held his particular interest throughout his entire life, partly due to his father's
involvement during the conflict as an American pilot. Most of Calams' character is from his
father, he explained.

"My dad always taught me to do the right thing, both morally and ethically, and to go toward
everything you want like you need it," he said. "The core values I learned from him and my
mom growing up have always guided me in everything I do. I strive to do the right thing--
always. I tell my kids 'if something feels wrong, it likely is' and to re-evaluate before they put
themselves in compromising situations. My wife and I give clothes and food to those less
fortunate and offer our time to help people outside of our family on a regular basis, as well."

As a young boy, Calams watched a close friend and two of his cousins offer their time to those in
need by working their way through the ranks of the Chicago Police Department. Paving the road
to his eventual career, their experiences piqued his curiosity enough that he decided at a very
early age to follow their lead. After earning a degree in criminal justice, he left Chicago to make
his dream a reality. Calams moved to Arizona at 21-years-old to work for the Maricopa County
Sherriff's Department. As a jailer for two years, it was there he began to get his feet wet and
commenced a journey in the field of work that he would eventually devote nearly two more
decades of hard work and dedication toward.

Shortly after his time at Maricopa County Calams earned his break--, he successfully secured his
first position as a law enforcement officer at Phoenix Police Department. Calams saw himself
grow as an individual during these years tremendously. He met his to-be wife D'Ann during this
period of his life, shaping his entire future beyond his own comprehension at the time. Soon
thereafter, the young couple tied the knot and eventually had three children in Phoenix--
Stephanie, Alexander, and Sarah Calams.
Alex Calams March 29, 2010

"He was charming and confident. Jim would walk into a room and everyone would instantly feel
his presence. That could have been because he is nearly six foot four, but I'd like to think it was
because he was charming and confident," said D'Ann laughing. "We were young and in love.
He was-- and is --the perfect husband. We had agreed at the time that I would take care of our
children as he worked. I could have done without some of the nights I stayed up worried about
him, but since the beginning he's always been so dedicated to providing for the family."

After spending nearly five years at Phoenix PD Calams applied for an officer position at the Los
Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He was accepted to their academy and promptly moved
himself and his budding young family to sunny California. With the support of his family,
Calams made the decision based on an increase in pay and the chance to work at the fourth
largest law enforcement agency in the United States. As a child, he watched television shows
based on the well-known police department like Dragnet and Adam-12 and dreamed of one day
working in the towering L.A. headquarters.

"LAPD was an adrenaline rush. The work was always changing and no two days were ever the
same," said Calams.

His time with the LAPD presented a multitude of new experiences, including interacting with
celebrities. Perhaps his most memorable is responding to a call early one morning from Child
Protective Services concerning a young boy named Chandler in the early nineties.

"It was 2 a.m. and I and my partner had received a call from Child Protective Services," said
Calams. His composure leaked as he paused and held a grin. It is apparent this particular story
holds fond memories. Even though it seemed he could hardly hold the words back any longer
from escaping into his voice, he collected his thoughts carefully for a split-second before he
continued. "Michael Jackson had apparently molested this kid, Chandler, and I spoke with him
about it until 6 a.m. I was the first to write any sort of police report about Michael Jackson's
initial run-in with molestation charges," he continued. "After I submitted my report I was
interviewed by the press a lot. I had to testify in court multiple times before it was said and
done, too."
Alex Calams March 29, 2010

As an officer with the LAPD, Calams participated in many happenings around Los Angeles that
would eventually become internationally known. To name a few: he sacrificed his life and well-
being while containing angry and violent protesters as a riot control officer during the Rodney
King riots of 1992; held various roles contributing his time as an officer during the widely
publicized O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1994; and contributed days and nights searching for
victims of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, one of the costliest natural disasters in the United
States that left 72 dead and 9,000 injured.

His time in California also saw the birth of his last child, Kirstie. Around 1998 when coming to
the realization that her children could largely take care of themselves without her undivided
attention, D'Ann decided she wanted to return to school to obtain her second bachelor's degree in
education. Calams left the LAPD to follow his wife's dream of becoming a teacher after she had
followed his for nearly ten years.

"Marriage is about compromise," said D'Ann. "I had received good scholarship money to attend
a small college in Prescott, Arizona. Jim realized it was an opportunity I had to take and we
moved our family back to Arizona."

A friend introduced Calams to a business venture that had shown notable financial response for
him in the field of polygraph science. Thinking three-steps-ahead, Calams obtained a license
from the Arizona School of Polygraph Science in Phoenix before moving his family out to
Prescott. He became a certified personal and pre-employment screening polygraph examiner and
opened his own business, Calams and Associates LTD, to ensure his family would have a stable
income before moving to a new state. He spent nearly two years working for himself while
D'Ann completed her studies at Prescott College.

After obtaining her degree, D'Ann wanted to leave Arizona for an environment that felt more like
home to raise her family and start a teaching career. The couple agreed on Frisco, Texas, a then
small suburb outside of Dallas that had been praised as a wholesome environment for young
families.
Alex Calams March 29, 2010

The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place as D'Ann was hired on as a pre-school teacher in
Frisco and Calams became a fraud analyst for a rising cellular phone company called Cingular
Wireless.

"I remember when we came here pretty well," said Kirstie. "I was still pretty young, but I
consider Texas my home now. I don't remember much from California and Arizona. I
remember mom and dad both doing their own thing for the first time, though. It was weird at
first, but we all got used to it."

Working to catch criminals that performed fraudulent acts like stealing identities through cell
phone accounts, Cingular introduced Calams to a multitude of new business contacts, including
representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA).

“I had to maintain close ties with the FBI and CIA, among other local and state law enforcement
agencies. It was interesting and fun work. From there I eventually found out that Lowe's was
searching for loss prevention people to do pretty much the same thing but with a bigger
paycheck, so I applied and got it."

After spending two years with Lowe's, Calams once again heard of a new position that could
utilize his experience and offered more money. He soon received a position as head security
supervisor at Grapevine Mills Mall outside of Dallas. After working for the mall for almost a
year, Calams began to notice suspicious activity among his employees. His previous experience
in police work taught him to always take notes and record details, so he began compiling an
investigation and documented the dates and times of incidents he had observed or been made
aware of. He soon discovered that nearly every employee that worked under him was stealing
merchandise and money from the mall after hours. Upon presenting his findings to his boss, he
was promptly stripped of his duties and fired. It had become painstakingly obvious that Calams
had poked his nose where it should not have belonged. His dismissal communicated that his
superiors were directly involved with the discovery, as well. Calams became determined to clear
his name and find out if criminal activities lead even higher up the Grapevine food chain.
Alex Calams March 29, 2010

"I sued them. It's called wrongful termination; you cannot fire someone for doing his or her job.
I did nothing wrong and they knew it. I really wanted to stick it to them, but they offered me a
settlement at a time when I was out of a job and in need of the money, so I took it," said Calams.

He became a salesperson for Jostens shortly afterward and helped launch a new program selling
departmental rings to law enforcement and fire departments. Calams spent nearly two years with
Jostens traveling the United States, giving presentations, and selling rings. He had made more
money than he had in a very long time, but the work was letting up.

"I was too good," laughed Calams. "I spent literally every couple of days in a new state for
weeks at a time. I would sometimes rent cars and drive to a lot cities during one business trip.
I'd fill orders for hundreds and hundreds of rings. The commission was becoming really good,
and on top of my salary, things were great," he continued. "I had hit nearly every police and fire
department in America by two years, though. At least nearly all of them except for the no-names
with a sheriff and one deputy. The money eased up big time."

On the hunt for another job, Calams was now faced with a troubled economy and an unreliable
job market, making this time around more difficult when seeking employment. His time-tested
ambitious attitude pressed on regardless and he found himself on top once again.

“I knew the economy was becoming worse every day so I looked at the stock market. I saw that
Wal-Mart was still managing to make tons of money in spite of it all and found out they were
hiring for managers in the area. I got a position in Carrollton and ended up making a little more
money than I had with Jostens."

Calams just recently moved from Wal-Mart to Sam's Club, its warehouse retail chain bigger
brother, doing the same manager work. His switch was more of a decision based on preference
than anything else this time around, though. Although Calams is making slightly more money
with Sam's Club, overall his decision to work for them was based on the company's reputation of
being a better employer than Wal-Mart.

If there is anything that James Calams can teach us throughout his occupations, it is that hard
work and perseverance do pay off. Throughout indisputably every single instance of hardship
Alex Calams March 29, 2010

and adversity, Calams has kept his father's spirit well alive by applying his inspiring words to
everyday life-- "Even when others say 'no,' you say 'yes.'"

“I just always try to do the right thing. When it is all said and done, I want to buy some land and
build a log cabin on it in Montana or New Mexico with a nice wrap-around fence to retire with
my wife. Far enough away from the big city to be at peace but close enough to drive in for
supplies."