Andrew Heisey, chairperson of the Fine Arts Department has been working on a new project to commemorate the life and legacy of longtime Waynesburg resident and friend James D. “Fuzzy” Randolph. 

Randolph, who was the father of the “Lamplighters Choir,” which has been a Waynesburg University institution since 1961, died Nov. 10, 2016. 

“Fuzzy is such an impact in Greene County and Waynesburg University,” Heisey said. “Just yesterday, I was walking down main street here in town and there are these little metal discs on certain buildings with QR codes. I took my QR reader and clicked on it, and it took me to a website that had the information of the impact he had, not just at Waynesburg but also Greene County.” 

Heisey’s personal connection with Randolph goes back to when the two started playing together in the James D. Randolph Kiltie Band, something that Heisey remains deeply indebted in today. 

“He’s had an impact on me, I’m a member of the Kiltie Band, [and have] been playing bagpipes for a while, playing while he was still alive, so certainly he encourages me that way,” Heisey said. “I wanted to honor him, so people would remember who he was.” 

Heisey said the process of designing and creating the statue is long and takes a lot of patience and research. 

“Every year in the fall, I make a clay head bust with my sculpture class,” Heisey said, “And that’s what I’m doing, making a bust of Fuzzy right now. The goal then is to make a full-size portrait of him as well.” 

The research aspect of the project has been done around Greene County, and Heisey has also spoken with some that were close to Fuzzy. Heisey views all of it as valuable to the creative process. 

“It’s a process because I’m not just going to make a sculpture,” Heisey said. “I’ve been doing a lot of research on it. I have collected a number of images, talked to Bruce [Fuzzy’s son] and got some images and from here in town and university.” 

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the project is that Heisey is trying to dig up the material, which would be for sentimental value, from a Waynesburg park to use in the final piece. 

“I’ve been doing some research about where some of the clay material to build Miller and Hannah [Halls is],”Heisey said. “Fuzzy was an archeologist and had won several different awards for archeological discoveries and things in that region. One thing I do want to do [is with] Lake Junita, the reason we have that pond is because that is where the clay was dug to build Miller. I’d love to find some actually clay here in Lake Junita to build my sculpture with.” 

Heisey hasn’t yet set a target date for completing the project. He said his work will play however it does, and he doesn’t have a set deadline for the finished product. 

“It’s going to happen as it happens,” said Heisey. “It’s a long process because I want to make something worthwhile to really honor him.” 

Nearly two years after his passing, Heisey feels that Fuzzy’s reputation lives on , especially within the Kiltie Band when they it performs. 

“I ’m constantly going different places, and [having] people come up to me and say, ‘I remember that Fuzzy Randolph guy,’” said Heisey. “He’s often talked about by various people as the Kiltie Band travels around performing.”