Biographical Text
Professor Emeritus of Biology J. Frank Randall (August 2, 1918-) was born in Marshall, North Carolina. He received an A.B. degree from the University of North Carolina (1941), an M.S. degree from the University of Michigan (1950), and a Ph.D. degree from the University of South Carolina (1957). Prior to coming to Appalachian State University faculty in 1957, Randall's teaching experience included two years at Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, New York; seven years in the secondary schools of North Carolina; and three years in Alpena Community College, Alpena, Michigan. At Appalachian State, Dr. Randall was responsible for organizing several courses in the Department of Biology, including ecology, animal ecology, biogeography, evolution, herpetology, mammalogy, and endangered species. He is best known, however, for his ornithology class, with its early morning bird trips. Randall organized and was the first faculty advisor of the Highland Biology Club. He will probably be best remembered for his broad knowledge and for his personal interests in students; he has conducted academic trips for student groups to Alaska twice and to South America three times. Dr. Randall also played a major role in establishing the Faculty Senate at Appalachian State. He served as the senate's first chair and was a member of the body for several years. Dr. Randall is affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Ecological Society of America, the Society of Sigma Xi, the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and the Association of Southeastern Biologists. His publications include The Fishes of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin, Finding Small-mouth Bass, and Naturalists in Colonial North Carolina. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Randall has been active in other areas. For several years he worked with Boy Scouts, serving as scoutmaster and Explorer Post advisor. Randall has been a member of the Bluff Mountain Stewardship Committee of the North Carolina Nature Conservancy and has served as a guide for many Bluff Mountain nature hikes. For several years he has been a member of the Non-Game Advisory Committee of the North Carolina Commission, and he is also active in the national Audubon Society. Randall's wife, Lera Britt, served as high school librarian in Watauga County from 1957 to 1990. The Randalls have a son, Richard, who received an A.B. degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. degree from North Carolina State University. He is a biochemist with Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. In December 1989 the Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Dr. Randall to emeritus status. His thousands of students will always remember him as a consummate professor, as a faculty statesman, and as a quiet, yet effective, spokesman for all that is good about Appalachian State University. Dr. Randall and his wife live in Boone, North Carolina. Randall now spends much of his time working on his Roaring Fork Nature Preserve in the Meat Camp section of Watauga County. Sources: Appalachian State University files and long association. -Dr. Richard D. Howe
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