Randolph, E. E. (Edgar Eugene), 1878-

An alumnus of the University of North Carolina, Edgar Eugene Randolph (1878-1954) began his teaching career as a professor of English. He taught at Lenoir-Rhyne College and at Texas A&M University before teaching at the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University). He became head of the Chemical Engineering Department in 1924 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1946.

From the description of Edgar Eugene Randolph papers, 1884-1961 [manuscript]. (North Carolina State University). WorldCat record id: 466927983

Edgar Eugene Randolph was born on July 22, 1878, in Mecklenburg County, N. C. He was educated at Sardis Academy, then at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where he earned his Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. in English. He continued his graduate study as a Carnegie Research Assistant at the College of the City of New York and as a graduate level chemical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he took practical school work in the Revere Sugar Refinery, Merrimac Chemical Company, and the Bethlehem Steel Company's Buffalo plant. Randolph instructed at Lenoir-Rhyne College, Elon College, and Texas A&M, where he taught English. He also spent summer terms on staff at Tulane University, Appalachian Normal College, and North Carolina State College, before joining North Carolina State permanently in 1920.

In 1924, Randolph helped to develop the chemical engineering curriculum at North Carolina State College. As department head, Randolph's skill and dedication to his work enabled the Chemical Engineering Department to grow into one of the College's largest, over the next 15 years. By his retirement in 1946, the Department had trained hundreds of graduates, many of whom won competitive positions in the nation's top chemical companies or other related fields. A significant number of these positions were attained with the direct intervention of Randolph.

Randolph's professional work was extensive, and he produced several books and numerous articles in technical and scientific journals. In addition to his career at North Carolina State, he took consulting chemical engineering work for the Carolina Power & Light Co.; the Southern Cities Public Utilities Co.; the Central Public Service Co.; the State Highway Commission; and the State Department of Conservation and Development concerning the potential industrial uses of North Carolina's surface waters. Randolph also acted as the State Inspector of City Gas Plants for the North Carolina Corporation Commission and as the Fuel Inspector for the North Carolina Budget Bureau on Coal Purchase Specifications for State Institutions. He was even invited to attend the 1936 World Congress of Chemical Engineers of the World Power Conference in London.

In addition to being licensed by the North Carolina State Board of Registration for Engineers, Randolph belonged to the American Chemical Society, the National Education Association, the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, the North Carolina Society of Engineers, and other professional organizations. He was a member of both the Tau Beta Pi National Scholarship Engineering Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and was involved in their student chapters.

Edgar Eugene Randolph died in Raleigh, N.C., on November 10, 1954, leaving behind a wife, Ora Huffman Randolph, and a daughter, Edith. Ora Randolph is notable in her own right for having put the state song of North Carolina to music. She was also extensively involved in the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs and the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs. Her work included setting up musical performances and helping to run the Music and Memory Contest. On May 6, 1961, the Chemical Engineering Department dedicated the E. E. Randolph Memorial Student Reading Room, on the first floor of the Riddick Engineering Laboratories Building, in his honor.

From the guide to the Edgar Eugene Randolph Papers, 1884 - 1961, (Special Collections Research Center)