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James Robert “Randy” Randall was born in Boardman, OH, the third and
final child of Jesse and Anna Mae (Moraghan) Randall. He graduated from Boardman
High School and then attended Hiram College in Ohio for one year before entering
West Point. He was on the football teams at Boardman and Hiram, and also on the
tennis team at Boardman. He became an Eagle Scout in 1948 and was active in
Scouting for most of his life.
Randy’s initial claim to fame at West Point was accruing enough demerits to earn
eight area tours on the first day in Beast Barracks that demerits could result
in punishment tours. Over the course of Plebe year, he became a “day man,”
exceeding 24 hours on the area. Later, he helped F-1 win the Banker’s Trophy by
making it to the Brigade Championship as a 165-pound boxer, even though he was
pummeled by friend and classmate Lou Mologne in the final. Randy also spent Cow
and Firstie years on corps squad boxing, serving as sparring partner for the 165
and 175-pound divisions. He did, however, get to eat at the corps squad tables.
Randy also followed an interesting academic path. For a few months he was in the
last section of French, with no one on his left, but Randy survived a lieutenant
colonel’s prediction that he would be found. Yet, in other years, in technical
classes, he managed to spend some time in the first sections.
Graduation found Randy marrying his high school classmate Phyllis Williams and
then attending the Armor Officer Basic Course, followed by Ranger School. He
went to the 81st Recon Battalion, 1st AD in Ft. Hood, TX, then moved with them
to Ft Polk. About this time, Phyllis, a diabetic, began losing her eyesight.
When he received orders in mid 1956 for Germany, he received concurrent travel
based on her condition. Initially, he was assigned to the 14th Armored Cavalry
Regiment in Fulda, but because Phyllis could not see to drive, in a few weeks he
was transferred to Headquarters Company, V Corps. This was not a satisfying
assignment but seemed to indicate the type of assignment he would receive in the
future, given his wife’s needs for assistance. Therefore, he applied for, and
was granted, a hardship discharge in April 1957. While the discharge was being
processed, he negotiated a job with the Commercial Airplane Division of The
Boeing Company in Renton, WA.
The job at Boeing was moderately interesting to Randy, but enabled him to enroll
in graduate school for mechanical engineering at the University of Washington.
The many Englishmen working for Boeing in Renton advised him that “Randy” wasn’t
a good nickname, so he became “Jim.” He also joined the Army Reserve in Tacoma
but had to join a Field Artillery unit because Armor units were not available
locally. Within a year, however, Phyllis’ condition had worsened, and she became
quite susceptible to infection. In May of 1958, she developed pneumonia and died
within a few days. Her parents just happened to arrive in the area the day
before she became ill, and Jim drove their car back to Ohio while the family
flew back. During this four day trip—on slick plastic seat covers with no seat
belts—Jim slipped a disc in his back. After returning to Washington, he broke
the disc and, instead of going to summer camp with the reservists, he went to
the hospital for an operation.
After leaving the hospital, Jim considered returning to active duty but
found that he was no longer physically acceptable. He remained in the Reserves
for another year, but then transferred to inactive status. He took a new
position within Boeing, working with engine applications, and became active in
the engineer’s union, SPEEA. Jim also had the good fortune to meet Georgine
Zieske, a Northwest Airlines flight attendant, and carefully pursued her until
they were married in late 1959. The next year brought their daughter Barbara,
and three years later, son Michael. In the meantime, Jim continued his classes
at the University of Washington, became an executive committee member of SPEEA
(he was the chief contract negotiator in 1964–65) and made an unsuccessful run
for the Democratic nomination for the 7th U.S. Congressional District in 1962.
In 1966, Jim left Boeing for GE Aircraft Engine Division in Lynn, MA. There,
he worked in gas turbine research and taught in-house courses. In 1969, Jim’s
boss recruited him and several others to go to Dresser Industries in Houston,
TX, to start up their gas turbine division. It was not a good time for
land-based gas turbine development, and, by 1972, Jim and most of the others
were laid off. He was fortunate to meet recruiters for CF Braun & Co. in
Alhambra, CA, and accepted their offer. This began 19 years of interesting work
that took Jim to several European countries, Venezuela, Indonesia, and to Canada
many times. Jim also became Braun’s representative to the Subcommittee on
Mechanical Equipment (SOME) of the American Petroleum Institute. This assignment
required Jim to travel as well. In the late 1980s, however, Halliburton bought
Braun and introduced significant changes in their business practices. Jim could
not get these procedures changed, nor could he abide by them, so in late 1991 he
retired.
Jim continued working as an independent consultant, and he had the good
fortune to practice his trade at still more locations around the world. He
continued as a SOME member until late 2002. In September of 2006, he was
diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. On Monday, 13 Nov 2006, with his family at
his side, he slipped peacefully away. He is survived by his wife Georgine,
daughter Barbara, son Michael and wife Shelly, and two grandchildren, Brian and
Brianna.
—Written by himself |
