Dale Bertrand Jonas Randall, of Durham, NC, died after an extended illness on Sunday, July 24, 2016, at the Croasdaile Village. He was 87.
Dale was born March 18, 1929, in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Myron Welcome Randall and Lettie (Perrin) Randall. He attended Cleveland Heights High School, then earned his B.A., Summa Cum Laude, at Case Western Reserve University in 1951; his M.A. from Rutgers University in 1953; and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1958.
Dale began his teaching career at Duke University’s English Department in 1957, focusing on 16th and 17th century British literature. Over the course of his career, he served as chair of the Southeastern Institute of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, as Associate Dean of the Duke University Graduate School, as Chair of the Duke Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, on the Executive Committee of the Folger Institute of Renaissance and 18th Century Studies, and as Interim Chair of the Duke Drama program. Dale received many academic honors, including Senior Fellowships at the Folger Shakespeare Library and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Over his career he published nine books, edited many more, and wrote numerous articles on a wide array of subjects. Perhaps his favorite book was Soliloquy of a Farmer’s Wife: The Diary of Annie Elliott Perrin, which he referred to as “the book.”
In 1999, Dale retired from Duke and was named Professor Emeritus in English and in Theater Studies. To honor Dale, the annual Dale B. J. Randall Award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Essay in Dramatic Literature was established and was first presented in 2000. Dale remained connected to his students by continuing to serve as Faculty Advisor for the Chi Psi Fraternity, which created the Dr. Dale B. J. Randall Educational Foundation in 2009, “to honor Professor Randall’s pursuit of academic excellence.”
Besides teaching, publishing, and advising students, he enjoyed spending time in his extensive yard tending to flowers and raising chickens. Family and friends were happy recipients of fresh eggs and flowers. Classical music, antiques and especially books delighted Dale; one could often find him in one of his favorite libraries—Duke’s William R. Perkins Library or the Folger Shakespeare Library. Dale was thrilled that his granddaughter, Elaine, shared his birthdate; they delighted each year in blowing out the candles on their cake. He also cherished visits from his grandson, Cameron, who caught his first fish with Dale cheering him on.
Dale is survived by his wife of sixty-one years, Phyllis (Link) Randall; a daughter, Lettie Anderson (Jeff Anderson) of Durham, NC; a son, Kenneth Randall (Anne Randall) of Midland, MI; two grandchildren, Elaine Anderson of Arlington, VA and Cameron Randall of Midland, MI; a sister-in-law, Frances Randall, of Frederick, MD; brother-in-law, Kenneth Link (Barbara Link) of Monroeville, PA; nephews Myron W. Randall Jr. of Middletown, MD, and Greg Link of Huntington, PA; nieces Ruth Ann Randall and Eleanor Jane “Deedee” Luttrell of Frederick, MD, and Amy Marmo of Greensburg, PA; and one cousin, Raymond Perrin, of Asheville, NC. Dale is also survived by many grand nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Myron and Lettie Randall; his older brother, Myron William “Junior” Randall Sr., a nephew, George Elliott Randall, and his grandnephew, Robert Randall of Maryland.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, August 6, 2016, in the Few Chapel located at Croasdaile Village, 2600 Croasdaile Farm Parkway, Durham, NC. The family will receive friends following the service. Online condolences may be made at www.hallwynne.com. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Dale’s name to one of these funds:
Croasdaile Village Benevolent Care Fund
Donations may be made to support the Croasdaile Village community to remember or honor loved ones. Checks should be made payable to: United Methodist Retirement Homes Foundation and on the memo line, note that the donation is being made in memory of Dale Randall, and mailed to:
Croasdaile Village Benevolent Care Fund
2600 Croasdaile Farm Parkway
Suite A500
Durham, NC 27705
Chi Psi Fraternity
“The Alumni Corporation has taken on the task of doubling the Foundation within the next few years so that it can produce an undergraduate scholarship every year. We are humbled that it might be deemed a worthy way of remembering Dr. Dale, and we promise to be good stewards.” Donations should be payable to: Dr. Dale Randall Education Foundation-ERF and mailed to:
Dr. Dale Education Foundation-ERF
PO Box 99743
Raleigh, NC 27624
Dale B.J. Randall Award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Essay in Dramatic Literature
This award was established in 1999 to recognize an undergraduate Duke student excelling in the study of dramatic literature. The first award to an undergraduate student writing the best essay was made in 2000. Donations should be payable to the Department of Theater Studies Gift Fund, note that the donation is being made in memory of the Dale B.J. Randall Award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Essay in Dramatic Literature and mailed to:
Duke University
Department of Theater Studies
Attn: Cyndi Bunn
109 Page Building
Campus Box 90680
Durham, NC 27708
Joan Jobsis
July 29, 2016 at 8:22 pmDear Lettie,
My sincere condolences in this time of loss for you and your family.
Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Joan Jobsis
Joe Baltz
July 30, 2016 at 4:11 pmMrs. Randall, I was so saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Dale. I feel honored to have had a chance to get to know him. He was a great mentor to the Brotherhood, a wonderful educator, and a great friend. I enjoyed getting to spend time with the both of you on Saturday mornings working around the house. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Joe Baltz
Joseph A. Porter
August 1, 2016 at 3:57 amDear Friends,
Please receive Yves’s and my condolences. Through the decades Dale was an exemplary colleague, a model of patience, kindness, and exactitude. I particularly value the the time we had together editing _Renaissance Papers_ for the Southeastern Renaissance Conference. Dale taught me innumerable invaluable lessons, of many kinds.
Sincerely,
Joe Porter
Mieke Jobsis
August 2, 2016 at 9:53 amDear Lettie and family,
I am so very sorry for your loss. I always remember your dad as such a gentle, kind man. I know you’ll miss him terribly. My deepest condolences to all of you
Love, Mieke
Marianna Torgovnick
August 3, 2016 at 9:46 amMy sincere sympathy on the loss of Dale. I remember to this day being invited to your lovely home on University Drive, Phyllis, and shown Dale’s garden. Every time I passed the house, I would see if the lighter were on and think of you. Dale was a gentle man and a gentleman who left his mark on his colleagues and students at Duke. I used his office after he retired and it felt suffused by his energy and love of learning. I am in New York as I got the news. But I am thinking of you with warmth and fondness and will send a donation to the undergraduate award fund. In sympathy that my husband, Stu, sends as well.
Betty Hageman (Univ. of New Hampshire)
August 5, 2016 at 11:51 amDear Phyllis and other members of your family:
I am one of many scholars who benefitted from Dale’s model over the years–I met him in 1976 at the Medieval and Renaissance Institute held at Duke and corresponded with him (by email) most recently in 2011, when he helped me with a query I had about copies of editions of the poet Katherine Philips in the rare book room at Duke. Between 1976 and 20ll I saw Dale many times, often for quick chats, at the Folger Library and at annual meetings of the Southeastern Renaissance Conference. And just a few hours before I learned he had died, I entered the details of one of his books in a bibliography I am now compiling. Dale’s name and his work–not to mention his good humor and scholarly example–will live on. But in the meantime, I send my condolences to you who will miss him the most!
Olga Valbuena
August 5, 2016 at 12:08 pmDear Mrs. Randall and Family,
I was very saddened to hear of Dale’s passing, as I always felt his deep intelligence was matched only by his generosity to colleagues and students. Among his many fine traits, Dale was ahead of his time by thinking outside disciplinary boundaries. I remember him warmly for his appreciation of Spanish Golden Age literature and the conversations we had about these “contending kingdoms.” All of us in the Southeastern Renaissance Conference will miss him deeply.
Ralph Alan Cohen
August 5, 2016 at 12:15 pmDear Family of Dale Randall,
I was a graduate student at Duke beginning in 1967, and Dale had a profound influence on my work. The thoroughness and rigor of his course in Tudor and Stuart Drama led me to my dissertation on Ben Jonson, and the pleasure of being in his class has stayed with me over the years. He had what seemed permanent wry twinkle that spoke to his delight in his work and his students, and in every way he seemed to me and to my classmates the very definition of a scholar and a gentleman.
My wife Judy and I are saddened to hear of his death but hopeful that you can take comfort in how strongly he lives in the minds and hearts of his students.
Sincerely,
Ralph Alan Cohen
Mark and Arlene DeLong
August 5, 2016 at 1:30 pmDale was a gentle man and a great (and patient) mentor to me at Duke. I fondly remember our adventures trying our hand as beekeepers with the beehive in the woods next to the house on University Drive. I remember visiting Dale’s outdoor study in back near the gardens (which, years ago, I believe I helped to paint!). He gently shaped the arc of many people’s lives. A nurturing spirit. Arlene and I send your our thoughts and prayers.
Christine Morris
August 8, 2016 at 11:50 pmDear Phyllis,
Tonight we just learned this sad news and send our deepest condolences to you and all the family. So many happy memories of Dale. He was very generous and funny and wise and our collaboration on the production of “The Changeling” at Duke 15 years ago remains a highlight of my time on the faculty there. And the eggs, oh, the eggs -!
Please know that you, and Dale, and the family he loved so much are in our thoughts –
Chris Morris & Jeff West
Nik R.
August 9, 2016 at 2:24 amDear Mrs. Randall and Family,
I’m very saddened to hear of Dr. Dale’s passing. Dr. Dale exuded warmth, kindness, and intellect when I first met him pledging Chi Psi, but he also made sure that I did a thorough job when I helped him clear branches, leaves, and weeds from the backyard. When I met with him one-on-one in his office during Chi Psi pledging back in 2011, he didn’t shy away from asking me tough questions, questions that required me to think more deeply about the values of the fraternity I was about to enter. Looking back at these times, I greatly appreciate his willingness to challenge me physically and mentally. Despite not knowing me well, Dr. Dale sincerely wanted me to grow as a person. This, to me, speaks volumes of his character – he wanted all Chi Psi men at Duke to achieve their personal best. He didn’t seem to have favorites; he treated us all equally.
I still vividly remember conversing with Dr. Dale in his backyard gazebo during a break from the yard work one Saturday afternoon, and even though I only worked with him a few times, it felt like I was catching up with an old friend. Dr. Dale was so easy to talk to, and he always had great wisdom and stories to share. He was always eager to show me his works in his book collection. These qualities – his warmth, affability, intellect, “tough love,” and wisdom – and the small moments we shared will be how I will always remember Dr. Dale. I already miss him, and I send my deep condolences to you and the rest of the family.
Sincerely, Nik
marilynn olson
August 15, 2016 at 12:00 amDear Phyllis and Family,
This is very hard. My graduate classmates and I in the seventies loved Dr. Randall and his classes, and we had much cause. I knew at the time how fortunate I was that he agreed to direct my dissertation, but I suppose no one realizes how far-reaching such a relation can be. I can see his hand (and occasional gentle reproof) guiding my relationship to students, to drama, and to research, and to my conception of a life properly lived. I cannot be grateful enough for his kindness, his notes, his principled example. Love, Marilynn Strasser Olson
Jan Chambers
August 28, 2016 at 12:45 pmDear Phyllis, Christine Morris just let me know that we lost Dale last month. I’m so sorry to hear that. I, too, loved working with him on The Changeling and cherish the book on Shakespearean costume that he gave me as an opening night present. He was indeed generous and thoughtful – a very sweet soul and oh so savvy as a dramaturg and historian. He will be missed by many who knew and loved him. Gentle hugs to you in this time of sadness, Jan Chambers
Dr. Timothy Floreth
October 18, 2016 at 6:10 pmPhyllis and Family,
I was very saddened to hear of your loss. Dr. Dale was a great role model to me in my college days and beyond. I enjoyed working in his yard and his recommendations for me to enroll in an English class at Duke. His memory will live on in all those he has touched and I hope you are all comforted by this.
My condolences,
Dr. Timothy Floreth Duke/Chi Psi ’99
James Day
December 16, 2016 at 10:39 amDear Phyllis,
I have been out of touch for a while, taking care of my aged Mother. (She died four days after I retired to take her home.) I thought I would try to get back in touch for Christmas, only to find that Dale had died. I didn’t know as I haven’t kept up with Duke. I am so very sorry. He was important to me, and I appreciated him not only as a scholar but a gentleman. Students knew that what he told them was gospel, which was not always the case in the Duke English Department. I have retired to Florida, and I will return to London next summer for the first time since 2003. Again, my apologies for such a belated message. I remember you both with great fondness.
Sincerely, James Day