Carlos Silva, a community service officer security guard and employee of the UCLA Police Department, died on July 13 in Long Beach, after a six-month battle with cancer. He was 47.
As a CSO guard, Silva worked the morning shift at the Charles E. Young Research Library and was responsible for opening the building in the morning, patrolling the stacks, and dealing with any unusual circumstances and problems that occurred in the area, said Don Sloane, director of access services for the Charles E. Young Research Library. Silva also worked early afternoon shifts at the College Library.
However, throughout his eight years at UCLA, Silva gained a reputation not only for his professional attitude and expertise in security, but also for his friendly and optimistic personality, said Matt Ellis, program manager for the CSO program.
“The way his face would light up when he smiled at you, he would be ready to talk about whatever you wanted to talk about,” Ellis said. “He set the tone for the library, and he would welcome you in.”
With this attitude, Silva befriended many of his co-workers, both in the library and in the CSO program.
“He was the first person I saw when I came in, in the morning,” said Lauren Buisson, head of operations, performing arts special collections at the Charles E. Young Research Library.
He was a beacon of light and he never once met me without a smile ““ that’s why he was so beloved.”
His coworkers in the CSO program echoed Buisson’s sentiments, saying that his optimistic and caring outlook defined his personality.
“He was funny, witty, and never down,” said Keith Boseman, a fellow CSO guard who shared a post with Silva. “Carlos was a guy who brought everyone together.”
In addition to his friendly demeanor, his friends also commented on his love for his family.
“He was an extraordinarily devoted father, and Carlos Jr. was the apple of his daddy’s eye,” Buisson said. “He was devoted to making his son a great citizen and was looking forward to the man his son would become.”
Silva was born on July 2, 1962 in the Republic of Cape Verde, which is an island country located off the western coast of Africa. He immigrated to the United States when he was three years old and moved to New Bedford, Mass.
After graduating from high school, he worked as a math tutor at a college in New Bedford before coming to California, said Silva’s partner, Joann Jones-Demic.
Jones-Demic added that Silva had always liked security work and as a result, he worked as a director of security for a variety of locations, including the Jonathan Beach Club in Santa Monica and the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, where he met his best friend, Jerry Jackson.
“He was personable and would go out of his way to talk,” Jackson said.
After he and Jackson discovered their shared love of music, the two formed a rock band, along with their other friends in 1989, called Play Pretty Productions. The group released an album titled “Play Pretty Express,” and also played at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, as Silva looked on as a producer and security guard.
The friends kept in touch throughout the years and were eventually reunited at UCLA, when Jackson accepted a CSO guard position.
“He was a gentleman and a scholar,” Jackson said. “We knew each other for 20 years, and we never got in a fight.”
In addition to his love of music, Jackson added that Silva loved to write poetry.
Silva was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer earlier this year, Jackson said. Despite the fact that the disease was discovered in its fourth stage, Buisson said that Silva maintained a positive attitude about his condition.
“He said he’d keep doing what he could,” Buisson said.
In an outpouring of support, Silva’s friends and coworkers sent him cards and messages of encouragement.
“All the way from January to now, all the letters and cards, I’ve never seen it before,” Jones-Demic said.
“He loved life, and he loved people, and he loved his family.”
Silva will be buried in New Bedford, Mass, but a celebration of his life will be held at The Reef on Sunday in Long Beach at 5 p.m.
Silva is survived by his partner, Jones-Demic, as well as his son, Carlos Jr.
Silva’s friends and coworkers, both at the Charles E. Young Research Library, College Library and the CSO program, have started a donation campaign to benefit his remaining family. Interested donors should mail contributions to Joann Jones-Demic, 5501 Cerritos Ave., Long Beach, CA 90805.