War hero’s self-portrait returns 65 years later

In 1952, Amos Randall drew a self-portrait while he was a student at Covington Elementary School in Youngstown.

The drawing was so good that it was recognized in a scholastic art program at the time. As part of the honor, it was displayed at the Butler Institute of American Art.

Randall would go on to graduate from the Rayen School in 1959, and joined the U.S. Army after graduation.

He spent 20 years in the service, retiring as a decorated major in 1977.

Today, Maj. Amos Randall Sr. (Ret.) lives in Oklahoma, and still draws as a hobby.

And that portrait he did back in 1952 will again be on display at the Butler, beginning Sunday, along with two dozen other works by Maj. Randall.

His exhibition, part of the museum’s Black History Month offerings, is titled “Maj. Amos Randall Sr.: Love You Greatly.” It opens Sunday in the Mesaros Gallery on the lower level of the museum, and runs through March 5.

The pieces are mainly illustrations, made with a conte pencil, and include portraits, landscapes and other scenes.

Maj. Randall will return to Youngstown for an artist reception on Feb. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The major, who was based at Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla., served in Vietnam and emerged as a war hero. He was wounded while engaging the enemy in an artillery battle in 1969, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Vietnam Service Medal/Silver Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal (10 clusters), and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.

The Army then selected him as a speaker to explain the United States’ mission in Vietnam.

He would go on to receive the Ohio Medal of Valor and was inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame in 2005.

After retiring from the Army, Maj. Randall again took up art as a hobby “to get away from the intensity of my work in the Army,” he said.

And that self-portrait he did in 1952 will come full-circle when it again goes on display at the Butler.

While the major was serving his country, the self-portrait remained in storage at the Butler for two decades. In 1972 — 20 years later — the portrait turned up during a renovation project, and the museum notified the major’s brother, Philip, who retrieved it.

Youngstown — and The Vindicator — hold strong memories for Maj. Randall. These include his first paid job.

“When I was 4 years old, my brother was a newspaper boy and I worked for him one day because there was an extra edition announcing that the war in Europe was over,” he said.

“I remember standing in front of McKelvey’s store [in downtown Youngstown] shouting ‘extra, extra, war is over.’”

Maj. Randall would go on to get his own Vindicator paper route when he was 10 years old.

“In my heart, I have always had a connection with The Vindicator,” he said.

FEBREWHAHA SHOWS AT RUST BELT TAPHOUSE

There is a lot of realness (and surrealness) in flea markets — especially the giant permanent ones that dot the area.

Places like Rogers Sale in Negley and Four Seasons Flea Market in Youngstown have a lot of character. They also have a lot of characters. They are a gold mine for comedy, and Youngstown area comedian-filmmaker Steve Swanson has been digging around in them for a couple years.

Swanson is currently working on “The Dirt Mall,” a reboot of his earlier project of the same name. It’s being shot at the region’s flea markets and will be compiled into a reality-TV series that he plans to shop to distributors.

In the meantime, Swanson is putting together a series of weekly comedy shows, dubbed Febrewhaha, every Saturday in February at Rust Belt Taphouse, 112 W. Commerce St., in downtown Youngstown.

Each show starts at 9 p.m., and there is no cover charge. The schedule looks like this:

Saturday: Talent show hosted by Shane Herman and featuring Jason Delfosse and musical guest Nate Cunningham.

Feb. 11: Comedy show hosted by Matt Liller and featuring Swanson and Joe McCormick.

Feb. 18: The Seven Minute Comedy Show. This show will give comedians seven minutes apiece to perform. The headliner will be Pittsburgh comedian Alex Stypula.

Feb. 25: Comedy show with Liller, Herman, Jason Moliterno and Tim Wolfe.

TROUBLE CLEF ENDS RUN AT HIGH SCHOOL ROCK OFF

Trouble Clef, a band whose members are students at LaBrae High School, performed last Saturday at the High School Rock Off in Cleveland.

The band — the only one from the Mahoning Valley in the annual competition at the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame — did not advance. Its members are Adam Nottingham, Terence Boggs, Sam Schmucker and Rory McClellan.

The Rock Off continues this Saturday, as well as Feb. 11 and 18. Three bands from each round advance to the finals, which will be Feb. 25.

Go to rockhall.com/rockoff for information.

BILL BARRON TO OPEN EXHIBITION AT DNA GALLERY

An exhibition of works by local artist Bill Barron will open Friday at DNA Studios Gallery, 137 S. Park Ave., Warren, where there will be an artist reception from 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Titled “two and a half years,” the show include photographs, paintings and drawings.

Barron, whose work has been displayed at the Butler Institute of American Art and the McDonough Museum of Art, last exhibited at DNA gallery in April 2015.