y friend Breck Camp, CML, was born Feb- ruary 7, 1938. He passed No- vember 11, 2021. Believe it or not, it was a near miracle a few times over that the man was involved in this industry at all. Breck was born a premature twin in Grainger County, TN, in a time when premature babies didn’t have a chance, and especially so in a rural setting. His twin passed shortly aſter their birth, and Breck wasn’t given much hope either. His mother was told to take him home and anticipate his inevitable death. His aunt sat him in a shoebox and fed him with an eye dropper. Unbelievably, he survived. When it was his time to make his mark on the world, Breck found a call- ing in the pipe organ business. He toured a large swath of the U.S. tuning and ser- vicing organs in churches —quite suc- cessfully, I might add. A chance phone call and inheritance, however, changed his fortune and the locksmith world al- together. He was offered a chance to buy a failing locksmith company and did so — aſter being given only 48 hours to decide (which resulted in him rushing back to Atlanta to inventory the entire shop over a single weekend). The rest, pardon the cliché, is history. Breck transformed the company, soon to be called Security Engineering Consul- tants, into a truly worldwide operation that specializes in high-security master key systems. Since I’ve been involved in the company, we’ve serviced systems and locks on every continent except for Antarctica. When that day comes, as I warned Breck many times over, I will exit this industry forever; I’m on bor- rowed time. He also made his name in the industry by selfishly devoting de- cades (plural) to advancing the trade and ALOA SPAI. WWW.ALOA.ORG “In the last few days, a mutual friend told me of Breck, ‘He had a King’s lot but a servant’s heart.’” Our Friendship Now to make this about me. Breck and I met by chance when a customer brought a key to the shop of a company I worked for in 2008. I had no answer for the customer but, being young and naïve, I told them I would get them the answer. I found the answer via ClearStar, and it was because of Breck Camp (it was one of his master key systems). We stayed in touch over the years. In 2017, Breck’s partner and integral part of his business, M.W. (Buzz) Whit- man was diagnosed with a terminal ill- ness. Weeks later, his director of opera- tions, Stephen Gebbia, CML, was also diagnosed with a terminal illness. In the matter of a month, it seemed to Breck that everything he worked for and accom- plished in the past 50 years, businesswise at least, was at risk of going away. But that wasn’t to be. He called me, and I didn’t hesitate to go to work for a peer, a legend and a friend. We spent the next four years working together daily and spending every Friday night enjoying adult bever- ages while watching MASH. I wish I could say I learned more about locksmithing but, truthfully, I learned far more about life. Honestly, this wasn’t about me; it’s a tes- tament to the experience that many have encountered over the years: a great man giving an opportunity to someone because he saw potential. If you were one of those people, know that Breck saw something in you and didn’t hesitate for one second to get behind you. Trust me, I am not unique, and I am not alone. Per Breck’s wishes, there will be no fu- neral and no causes or charities to donate to; he would never expect or ask anyone to do something on his behalf. But he and I are different in that respect (I am far more stubborn), so I ask you all to do the following in his memory: 1) Pursue your certifications. The PRP was Breck’s baby, and he would be the first person to tell you it was never meant to be a sign of prestige or a status sym- bol; it was meant to make you a better locksmith. Take advantage of it and learn what you know and what you don’t. It will only help you in the end. 2) We all start knowing nothing. When you do learn something, turn around and extend a hand to your fellow locksmith and the next generation. I cannot tell you how many phone calls and emails I saw that man answer to help people he had zero obligation to help, but he did because that is just who he was and who we should all strive to be. In the last few days, a mutual friend told me of Breck, “He had a King’s lot but a servant’s heart.” That, my friends, is how you live life. That is a life well lived. I hope you and Hank Printz, AJ Hoffman and many other of your friends are catch- ing up for lost time. Rest easy, Breck. Job well done. Tyler J. Thomas, CJIL, CMKA, CRL, is the vice president of Security En- gineering Consultants in Atlanta, GA, and serves as ALOA SPAI’s Southeast Director. He helps maintain the website www.lockreference.com. JANUARY 2022 KEYNOTES 19
