I Dream a World
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn.
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom’s way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankind—
Of such I dream, my world!
Langston Hughes
John grew up in Montclair, NJ, and went to the Loomis School in Windsor, CT. He spent time during the war in France, England, and Germany. When he came back, he met his wife-to-be Ruth Ratner. Their first date was a Duke Ellington concert. In 1957, John and Ruth moved to New Canaan. They settled into a modern house in the woods, and John spent many joyful hours tending his trees and plants, and creating gardens.
John worked for Polychrome Corp. in Yonkers for 30 years as Advertising Director. He worked with an amazing group of colleagues who he remained close friends with well after retirement. John loved his job. He was an incredibly hard worker and had a high moral and ethical standard for every aspect of life. He brought a wonderful sense of humor to every situation and co-workers still reminisce about his comic antics.When John married, he didn’t fully appreciate art. His wife opened his eyes to painters like Paul Klee and Jackson Pollock, and John was hooked. He studied painting with Carlus Dyer at the Silvermine Art School. John’s painting style was very unique, perhaps influenced by two of his favorite painters, Mark Tobey and Morris Graves. He painted with casein paints and used mostly palette knives, rarely touching a brush. He liked texture and layered patterns. In the 1960s, he began to do photography, setting up a darkroom in the bathroom, and studied at Aperion Studios with Paul Caponigro in the early 1970s. He was inspired by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston and his subjects were rocks, ice, reflections in water, bark, rusted hinges, and weathered facades of old buildings. It was at Haystack, an art school on Deer Isle in Maine, that he discovered weaving. He was studying photography but on sunny days noticed a group of weavers at their looms, which had been set up outside on the decks with a view of the ocean. This made a great impression on him and when he returned home he built himself a 6-foot loom on which he created a number of lovely woven wall hangings. This adventure in weaving ultimately led him to basket-making. Instead of just weaving traditional basket shapes, John created original basket sculptures and wall hangings, with a look akin to native Indian and tribal arts. He created these wonderful pieces until his eyesight was too weak to continue.
After he retired from Polychrome in 1991, John became a volunteer at the New Canaan Library. He used to say the library was his second home. There might be chores to do at home, but John was usually at the library sorting books, drinking whatever coffee was in the community pot, and hobnobbing with the staff. He volunteered for 19 years and in November 2009 the Book Sale was renamed the John Randolph Book Sale.
If the library was John’s second home, the MET Museum was John’s church. For years, he faithfully drove into NYC to visit the museum. His favorite exhibit was the Islamic collection and he described seeing it as “visiting old friends.” Even when he could no longer drive, he made monthly trips to the MET via the train and taxi.
Remarkably, John never complained and greeted each day with a positive attitude. He was a special friend to many and we will miss his presence.
Let the beauty of what you love be what you do – Rumi
John's favorite things
* Cat lover especially Razz Tazz and Tosca.
* Chopping wood and transplanting corkbarks and grasses.
* Great sense of humor.
* Listening to right-wing radio to know what the opposition was up to
* Classical music. Favorite piece: Verdi’s Requiem.
* Jazz especially Duke Ellington and company
* Maine
* Art and the Metropolitan Museum
* Favorite book: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
* Islamic art and culture
* Baseball (in the early days) especially the NY Giants and Willie Mays
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