. . . and it glimmered on September 09, 2023.
Many thanks to Charlie Ruddell, the “self-proclaimed mayor of Randolph” and owner of the historic Randolph School, for hosting this year’s Randolph Community Club picnic. Club members, former students, and their guests gathered on a sunny afternoon to enjoy a meal, good humor, and storytelling.
Attending the event with my mother and sister, I looked forward to seeing
the school, which I first saw in the late-1960s. My father’s mother taught there in the mid-1920s, and many members of my father’s family completed
grades 1-8 there. By the late-1960s, the school was overshadowed by
trees and entering a state of neglect.
The schoolhouse, now re-situated and beautifully remodeled into a vacation rental home, sits on a hill overlooking the Coquille River. I initially sat in the schoolyard and simply basked in its splendor and enjoyed the occasional chatter of a belted kingfisher flying above the banks of the slough.
Charlie facilitated introductions, so by the end of the event I had happily met and listened to the recollections of two of my father’s schoolmates: Pat Dunwoodie and Melvin McKinney. I enjoyed hearing their stories about living in Randolph. Their recollections kindled my imagination of what my father, Dean Russell, might have experienced when he attended the school (he died ten years ago).
When I returned home, I found a news article that revealed a connection between Pat and Melvin’s fathers and my father’s father in relation to the school: “In district no 21, Randolph, Ted Dunwoodie is new director, with Sam McKinney succeeding Garold (sic; Gareld) Russell as chairman.” (I look forward to learning more about Randolph residents and their interactions as I continue my research.)
The three men mentioned together in the 1939 news story probably never imagined that their children and grandchildren would meet in the Randolph schoolyard 84 years later. But it happened! Many thanks to Pat and Melvin for sharing their memories: metaphorical Randolph gold.
What memories do you have–or have been shared with you–about the Randolph School above the north bank of the Coquille River? Please feel free to contact me or leave a comment below.
Source Cited
Few Director Shifts Listed from Election. The World. June 26,1939, p. 5.