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Randy Bell:
Wearer of many hats
By
ESTHER K. SMITH
News staff writer
Randy Bell got a little payback at this year’s Fourth of July
parade in Odell.
His daughter, Kelli, and niece, Michele Johnson, annually ambush
him with water soakers as they ride through the parade on a
flatbed truck. This year
Bell
was equipped with a tarp, for protection, and an antique fire
extinguisher (water-filled) which pumps up with air pressure.
This time, it was the girls who got soaked.
Earlier that day
Bell
had marched in the
Hood
River
parade with other staffers from The Next Door Inc., where he works
as a van driver and teaching assistant for Klahre House.
Fittingly, he carried a drum.
“I’ve played the drums forever,” he said. “I played in high
school, and I’ve played in bands; and now I’m playing in wineries
a little bit, with some guys.” He has also drummed in the live
band accompanying the high school musicals for the last six years,
as well as CAST productions requiring live music.
Lately he’s been playing a wooden box drum called a cajon; an
Afro-Peruvian instrument played by slapping the front face with
the hands.
Besides drumming, Bell’s other passion is motorcycling — he and
his wife, Sue, who only recently received her motorcycle
endorsement, took their first real road trip together in June,
riding their Harleys to Goldendale.
“It was a blast even though we camped the first night in a pouring
rain storm,”
Bell
said. “(The event) had really good bands and we danced like we
were young two nights in a row. Even when her bike broke down, a
guy from Goldendale hauled it home for us. All in all a great
trip.”
Randy and Sue have known each other since kindergarten, and have
been together for more than 30 years. Besides daughter Kelli, the
couple has a son, Andy, 21.
Bell
has worked for Klahre House of The Next Door for the past six
years. He was honored last year as employee of the month, and
described as a hugely valuable member of the Klahre team.
“Randy is a hard worker and is able to wear many hats at Klahre
House,” Jody O’Connor wrote in his employee of the month
biography. “He drives the youth to and from Klahre House and field
trips, does maintenance, teaches life skills classes and takes
youth to AA meetings.
“Randy regularly supervises bowling, games and lunches. He is
well-connected with the Gorge community and has helped arrange
field trips to local organizations, contacted valuable guest
speakers and arranged for meeting spaces for Boys Group,
recreation and sports, etc.”
Bell
is indeed well-connected with the Gorge community, and volunteers
for any number of events, especially those with broadcasted music
such as the Ring Kings car shows. He is a board member at the
Hood
River
Valley
Adult
Center
and also belongs to the Elks and Eagles organizations. And don’t
tell the kids, but he just may be the one behind that Santa suit
around Christmas time.
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