Lifelong Indianola resident and public servant, Carver A. Randle Sr. passed away on Friday morning at the Greenwood-Leflore Hospital after a series of medical complications.
The 76-year-old attorney and activist worked persistently at his craft until he was physically unable to continue.
Randle, who grew up in Indianola after his father migrated here from Monroe County, was an advocate for the citizens of Sunflower County and for civil rights with a focus that centered on improving educational conditions in the area and increasing the presence of African-Americans in the local workforce.
Randle is also credited with being instrumental in the revitalization of the NAACP in Indianola and Sunflower County and served as chapter president for eight years during the mid 1960s to early 1970s.
His later service was as District 1 Supervisor for Sunflower County, where he worked alongside the late Edgar Donahoe and others.
He attended Mississippi Valley State University on an athletic scholarship and was a natural science major and a 1965 graduate. Randle was a generous contributor and supporter of MVSU and the university recently recognized him by renaming its social science auditorium in his honor.
Unable to secure professional employment in Indianola after graduation, Randle initially worked as a teacher and coach in Batesville for two years then in Leland before enrolling in Ole Miss School of Law in 1969 and later coming back to open his law practice in Indianola in 1976.
During the course of his trying to bring about change in the city, he made an unsuccessful run for mayor in 1968 during a time when the area was plagued with civil unrest. Despite all of the resistance, Randle never stopped seeking betterment for his beloved community.
A devoted husband and father of three, Randle was also the quintessential family man and known for his quick wit and jovial personality. He was loved locally and revered nationally having hobnobbed with notables Muhammad Ali, Jerry Rice and his long-time friend B.B. King.