Randy Neil

My first memory of Randy was standing together among some exhibit frames at a national philatelic exhibition (where?) in 1984 or 1985 and he was telling me about his plan to start the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors, which he and John Hotchner did in 1986. He wanted my opinion and involvement as a young collector (in 1985, I was 22, then 23), and I ended up on its board of directors for the first six years (1986-92). My membership number is 30, which he saved for me because of that number's significance in journalism (otherwise, I would have had an even lower membership number). A favorite memory is when he and I could have lunch together, just the two of us, in this or that restaurant in Kansas City when I lived there for about 9 months in 1994-95, and other rare times when we could talk uninterrupted by other people. That year he also took me to the private club at the Royals stadium (where I paid no attention to the game, which seemed like a mile below) just because he wanted to invite me along. Randy put me on the advisory/editorial board of his US Stamps & Postal History magazine in a hopeful gesture that I would write regularly for it, but alas I did not. As chair of the APS Writers Unit Hall of Fame, I ensured that he was inducted when I could make it happen in 2000 (he surely would have been inducted within a few years anyway), and I suspect that he had something to do with my induction in 2013, which was a total surprise and i still don't consider deserved. I have read just about everything he ever wrote for US Stamps & Postal History magazine, American Stamp Collector & Dealer magazine, The American Philatelist magazine, The Philatelic Exhibitor magazine, and Stamp Collector newspaper plus some of his work in Kelleher's Quarterly. His personality always came through and made me smile, and his writing was very similar to how he spoke (although his writing was somewhat more folksier and less funny). I supportively followed his work through all of his offices in the APS and AAPE with admiration and was present for many of his speeches, public events he hosted or chaired, etc. A few items I loaned him were illustrations in his wonderful Philatelic Exhibitors Handbook, but there were countless times he excitedly told me about an item he bought or wanted for an exhibit, lately the Pearl Harbor attack one he worked on for many years, and I shared his enthusiasm. (The one part of his philatelic interests that I never knew much about was his Confederate exhibit, editing the Confederate Stamp Alliance journal, etc., although I listened eagerly to him talk about his efforts to successfully recast the Confederate Stamp Alliance as the Civil War Philatelic Society.) We spent a little to a lot of time together at various stamp shows over the past 40 years, so there's a long list of random memories from them, all the times where we tried to find some place to talk away from dozens of his other friends who were trying to get some time with him, and the quirky moments, such as us going through a doorway at the Cleveland show and literally almost running into Michigan Sen. Carl Levin--we both immediately commented that we did not know he was a stamp collector and we were surprised to see him 170 miles from his Detroit office. But it's also been so many years that my memory has faded about much of it; for instance, when I joined the Royal Philatelic Society London a few years after he did, was he one of my nominators along with Ken Wood? Probably, but I don't remember.
Two key lessons I take from his life are: try to live every day to the fullest like he always did, and with a smart idea and plenty of energy and optimism, there's no telling what you will accomplish in life. I'd say that in 82 years, Randy accomplished enough for at least three lives. I will always miss him.

I just heard about Randy when I got an e-mail from APS this morning. I'm sincerely saddened to hear. I was a member of CCKC in the late '80's-early '90's. My second meeting there, he convinced me and the other members I'd make a good vice-president. I couldn't say no to him. I enjoyed attending the meetings (and the ones before or after) with him. A lot of us will miss him. My condolences to you.

I was one of many who got to share time and special accomplishments with Randy in regards to stamp collecting activities. He invited me into his world of philately with open arms and I will never forget him for that. My heartfelt condolences to his family and scores of friends.