Words of men
mimicked a motion with her left arm. “Come on, Randy. You can bring him with ya, but let’s go to the beach.” Peggy and David said one of the simple things Randy always
enjoyed was admiring beautiful views. Both also seemingly enjoyed telling a story of just one of Randy’s little pranks that was anchored on a good view. During a motorcycle ride near the town of Shirley one day, Randy stopped at a personal residence and met the homeowner by knocking on the door and doing some of the things he did best — talking and lis- tening. Randy’s purpose besides just being himself and not shying away from meeting someone was to gain access to the view from the back of the house. Randy made a friend that day and she said he could come any time to gaze at the view from the back of her house. Years later, Randy was riding the same stretch of road with Scott, his friend, and Randy insisted on stopping. Scott asked him what they were doing on someone’s property. As the tour to the back of the property continued, Scott grew more and more anxious and uncomfortable about being on a stranger’s property. Randy just acted like it was no big deal, whether he knew the home-
owner or not, as his friend squirmed in anticipation of getting caught. Apparently co-workers weren’t off limits when it came to Randy’s willingness to prank. “One time Randy pulled a prank on me. It had started raining and he asked that I roll up his windows,” Donetta Sterling, former Sun-Times columnist, wrote on the Sun-Times Web site. “I must have ran around outside a good 10 minutes before I realized he rode his motorcycle to work that day. He was smiling ear to ear when I walked back in the office drenched. Randy was a class act and a man who believed in giving people chances. I will miss my mentor and my friend. God Bless You Randy Kemp.” Randy loved an exciting journey on a motorcycle and shared the pas- time with many of his friends and family. Riding was a major defining factor of the person he was. One of Randy’s co-workers asked him on his Facebook page one day if he was worried about getting wet while riding his motorcycle. Randy’s reply: “While the common mortal is tiptoeing through life, worrying about getting minor consequences, the motorcyclist is kicking
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Randy stops and admires this beautiful view atop Mt. Magazine in Logan County during a motorcycle ride with David, his son. The mountain is the highest point in Arkansas at 2,753 feet.
down the door while pouring a bucket of water on himself and reveling at his wetness while saying ‘AHA!’ and shaking his fist at clouds and convention ...” Randy’s impact on his nephew, Mike Kemp, who is a professional photographer and motorcycle enthusiast, is also lasting and significant. Mike posted the following on his blog after Randy’s death: “To me, he was my uncle. A mentor. An influence. A friend. Te man who in- troduced me to photography and motorcycling, and used the opportu- nity with both to impart life lessons to me along the way.” One of the simple things in life that Randy enjoyed was being the family “fire master.” “He could start a fire in no time, with almost nothing,” Peggy pro- claimed. He had also recently acquired a taste for “strong French-press” coffee. He was introduced to it in New Zealand during a visit, and before long Randy had his own machine perking in the mornings. However, the stout coffee he recently admired wasn’t as strong or as lasting as his spirit.
When asked to do so, David summed up his father in one word —
“servant.” It certainly fit, but a man like Randy really can’t be summed up. Te
reach of his energy and impact on others is everlasting and exponential because those he touched will carry on to impact others.
Sources: Sun-Times
On the Web: n Read David Kemp’s memorial speech at
www.arcounties.org. Click
on News and Noteworthy and look for “Randy Kemp, David’s funeral speech.”
n Read Mike Kemp’s post in its entirety at http://mikekempf5.word-
press.com/2011/08/18/twists-and-turns/.
Randy races his Honda CBR 929RR in the spring of 2006 at Hallet Mo- tor Racing in Jennings, Okla. Peggy, Jeremy and David gave Randy a gift certificate for the outing for his 50th birthday.
COUNTY LINES, WINTER 2012
Background artwork: Photo by Randy Kemp in February 2009 at a chopper exhibit.
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