Fletcher Family’s Impact Far, Wide

 THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE ARTICLE BY JENNIFER BAILEY

ABOVE: Randy Fletcher and his mom, Sue, at Thanksgiving.

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OAKWOOD — Fletcher family matriarch Sue admits she can’t keep a secret, and it’s known all too well by her children.

When her son, Randy, started talks about coming back to this area from Florida to take an interim president job at Danville Area Community College, he was hesitant to make a full family announcement.

“He didn’t tell me,” Sue said about any early indications. She said when he started saying, “I think it’s a deal, mom,” and he’ll be signing a contract, she was surprised.

“I was really shocked. It was really good,” she said.

Her son was coming back home.

“He needs to be around here, I think,” she said.

As a mother who raised three children with her husband, each with their own interests and skills, Sue Fletcher said their life has been full of great adventures.

“I was blessed,” she said about watching her kids, Randy, Darrin and Allison, grow up. “My husband and I enjoyed being parents.”

She said they raised their children all alike, but each of her children were different and had differing ideas of what life was about.

Sue reminisced about her family as son Randy takes over as interim president at Danville Area Community College today, where both of them worked.

“Randy has always been the one who loved school,” Sue said. “It took him 18 years to get his Ph.D., but he never stopped.”

Former Major League Baseball player Darrin was born with the ability to be a great athlete, Sue said.

“Darrin was born with a bunch of skills that enabled him to become a professional baseball player,” she said.

Sue’s husband, Thomas, who died in 2018, also was a great baseball player. He was a pitcher at the University of Illinois and played with the Detroit Tigers. He had followed his father into professional baseball.

Daughter Allison started in accounting early on, was a great accountant and is now a chief financial officer, Sue said.

“We built a small home in the country, an A-frame. We love the outdoors,” Sue said.

Living in Oakwood, the Fletchers were able to participate in athletics and everything they wanted to be involved in.

They had cousins who lived next door, so they’ve been a tight-knit family.

“The kids were outside all the time. They did a lot of outside playing,” Sue said.

She said reflecting on the years, “it was fast. All of a sudden they’re in college and gone.”

“We were very busy just doing activities,” she said. “They never seemed to get into trouble.”

Darrin and his family live in rural Newtown, Oakwood Township. Allison lives near her husband’s family in Springfield. And Randy initially will be staying with his mom, until he finds a home, upon his arrival back to the area from Florida, where he now lives with his family.

“You have a piece of pie, and each child gets a piece. They have to choose what they are going to do,” Sue added.

She said Randy has been in Joliet, Bloomington and Satellite Beach, Fla.

“You don’t know what places are best for the kids,” Sue said. “It’s wonderful he’s coming back.”

Randy formerly worked at DACC, too, where Sue also has ties.

Sue worked as literacy coordinator at DACC. She ended up retiring as the second director of the Oakwood Public Library in 2004.

Sue said she’s excited for Randy to be back at DACC.

“I think it will be a great fit,” she said. She said he worked with Dave Kietzmann, former executive vice president of instruction and student services, and made a lot of friends there. While many have since retired, Randy still knows quite a few people there.

This will be a new chapter for the college.

“I think they need a lot of his new ideas,” Sue said. She said Randy focuses on the importance of the students.

Randy said their mom is the rock of their family; she’s a strong lady.

“She has always been the foundation of our loving family,” he said.

He says she was content staying in the shadows during his dad’s and brother’s sports fame.

Randy, too, said they were a very close family growing up, with cousins living next door and being among his best friends.

Some of his fondest memories are of them being outside and playing sports. Most weekends, they were playing ball.

The family would have some fun road trips, such as to see their grandparents in Clearwater Beach, Fla., and on other adventures. Randy said his parents loved to travel, with a lot of the travel revolving around sports.

“It was a very care-free upbringing,” Randy said, of the woods, bicycling and very idyllic setting.

“Everybody was watching us,” he said of his relatives. “It was multigenerational. It took a village. We truly had a village that took care of us and made us the people we are today.” He said his loving family made sure they reached for their dreams and goals.

Darrin knew from a young age what he wanted to do. He was good in a variety of sports, but baseball took the spotlight.

“He just always had that athletic swagger,” Randy said. “If he could square up a bullet, he’d hit it.”

Randy said older brother Darrin wasn’t over the top with it.

“I encouraged him, and I was his biggest fan,” Randy added, saying that he remembers being with him when Darrin was negotiating in the 1980s with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“He always included me in this whirlwind he went through,” Randy said.

Growing up, they would throw batting practice, and Randy would catch. Their dad was there, too, giving advice.

Randy said their dad was a guiding force. Their mom is the most optimistic person he’s ever met, he added.

“She’s a ray of sunshine. They balanced each other,” Randy said.

Randy has kept in touch with many people from Vermilion County through his education career. He’s friends still today with many classmates from his childhood.

Randy knew in high school he wanted to be an academic.

“I just focused on my education,” he said, adding that he knew when sports would be over with, it was done.

Randy said he’s excited about his first day today as DACC interim president.

“I’m looking forward to being on campus and seeing what has changed over the last 15 years,” he said. He’s excited to see the Mary Miller Gym additions, Hegeler Hall and all the other enhancements.

“Meeting with the faculty and staff is paramount to me,” he said.

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