Illinois Wesleyan University's retiring maintenance man is remembered for his work ethic and personable attitude.
Randy Crow wore many hats in his time at IWU. He was custodian, grounds crew member, audio technician, painter and locksmith in his 45 years at the university. Hailing from Normal, he was never more than a few blocks away from any emergency maintenance needs.
“When you meet him, you almost feel like you — right from an initial conversation — feel like you have a friend,” said Ken Frost, director of Physical Plant at IWU, the hub for the workers who take care of infrastructure repairs.
Locksmithing
For the last 14 years of his career, Crow worked as the university’s locksmith. At first it was temporary, but when his predecessor retired he moved from temporary help to the only locksmith on campus.
The job included many late-night jobs fixing doors for students on campus.
“I'd get in there and they'd say, you know, ‘I don't know what happened to the door.’ And of course, sometimes that's true, sometimes it was kind of obvious what happened to the door,” said Crow.
But no matter the circumstance, Crow would tell each student the same thing.
“I'm here to fix the issue and make sure you're safe for this evening.”
He said those few words would help the students relax again and lead to “wonderful conversations.”
Crow remembered one day in particular where a senior football player was locked inside a room with half an hour until the bus left for a game. Though the student was in a panic and at first the door was tough to get open, Crow managed to get him out.
Choosing Illinois Wesleyan
Crow grew up in Bloomington-Normal. He graduated from high school at Normal Community. After working at a hotel in Bloomington and then a painting company, he decided to head to the Illinois State University campus to apply for a job. But along the way, he saw a sign for IWU, and decided to submit an application there first.
“I pulled into Wesleyan, filled out the application, and handed it to the gentleman behind the desk. And he said, ‘Come with me,’ and took me down a hallway,” said Crow. “The head of custodians was sitting in his office, and he interviewed me for about 15 minutes, and said, ‘Can you start Monday?’”
Retirement plans
Crow’s retirement is set for Friday. He said spending time with his three children, 11 grandchildren and two dogs would keep him busy.
“I'm going to try to get some stuff done around my house and go fishing, spend more time with my children and grandchildren,” said Crow.
Crow’s daughter Crystal Bricker was one when Crow began his job at Illinois Wesleyan. She said Randy’s work supported his family, including through his wife Larrie’s battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Larrie died in 2020.
“[The university] supported my dad through every stage of life that he went through, and were there for us as things started to get worse with my mom,” said Bricker.
Reputation
Crow was honored with the Illinois Wesleyan Max L. Starkey Service Award in 2025. Nominators cited his work ethic and patient attitude while at work, where he assisted students, faculty and staff.
“We take on kind of a parenting role to a certain extent, to be there and be helpful to students when we're working with them in their spaces on campus in dorms,” said Frost. “And there's nobody better on campus that works with the students and other faculty and staff. He is just very patient, he's very kind, and he does the job right.”
Frost said those at Physical Plant are going to miss Crow.
“It's been his second home for a long time. ...We will get along, the work must go on, the show must go on — but it'll be definitely different without Randy here,” said Frost.
