Life Journey
Otelio Sye Randall, MD

Dr. Otelio Sye Randall, called OT by many, was born on November 30, 1937 in the very same house he grew up in Glen Flora, Texas. He was the seventh of nine children to JC and Sadie Randall.

Otelio was a devoted man to his family and friends. He accepted Christ at an early age and attended New Prosperity Baptist Church in Glen Flora, Texas, where he was baptized. Though many admired OT for his intelligence, he was a balanced and well-rounded man. He was a top-ranked miler on the track team, a member of the basketball team, and a member of the New Farmers of America Club at T.L. Pink High School where, in true OT style, he completed his high school studies in three years, graduating in 1956. His academic success did not end there as he matriculated at the prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC. There, he continued his trend of graduating early in 1960 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in chemistry. In his quest to become a doctor, OT went on to study German and Biological Science at the University of Heidelberg in Germany before obtaining his Medical Degree in 1967 from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Michigan. It was in Ann Arbor where OT met his loving wife, Donna, while doing one of his favorite things, listening to jazz. Soon after that they married and started a family. Four children were born of this union, and he was a dedicated father to his son, Otelio (T for short, or Grey), and three daughters; Paula (PK), Karintha (Kari), and Cydnee.

Dedicated to his work and the field of science, he completed an internship at the State University of New York at Brooklyn. He subsequently completed residencies to complete studies in cardiovascular medicine, his area of specialization, at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He enlisted and served as a Post Surgeon and Preventative Medicine Officer with the United States Army for two years before joining the faculty and staff at University of Michigan. OT remained at the University of Michigan for twelve years, including one year of sabbatical at the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he studied physiology. He subsequently served as a Fellow of Cardiology, the Assistant to the Dean of Medicine, a Professor of Medicine, and Director of the Coronary Care Unit upon his return to the University of Michigan.

It was always a dream for OT to work and give back to the community where he started his medical journey, and he did just that when he joined the faculty and staff at Howard University & Howard University Hospital for thirty-four years. There, he served as a Professor in the Medical School and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; Director, Hypertension Section/Division of Cardiovascular Diseases; Director, Howard University Hospital Coronary Intensive Care Unit; Director, Preventive Cardiology Program; Director, Preventive Cardiology/ Hyper-tension & Clinical Trials; Director, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention & Rehabilitation Center; Director, General Clinical Research Center; Director of the Capital City Research Center, and a Howard University Hospital Cardiologist where he practiced until he retired in 2018 at the age of 81.

As a physician, researcher, lecturer and professor, OT published countless articles, a healthy life-style cook book with his wife Donna, Menu for Life, and amassed numerous honors and awards over the years from hospitals where he worked, from medical organizations, and from pharmaceutical companies and peers alike. As a Principal Investigator on grants, he managed to secure more than $60 million in funding to advance cardiovascular research with emphasis on the Black community. He provided free medical physicals to junior high and high school students in Washington, D.C., who wanted to participate in sports but did not have the financial means to have them done. Each and every time he encountered a promising Black medical student he took him/her under his tutelage and encouraged them to stay the course. Many of them are still practicing medicine today. He focused on improving health for his community until the last day he practiced medicine, when he stopped and provided a consult to a former patient that approached him as he was walking out of the hospital doors. OT held a medical license in the states of Michigan, California, Texas and the District of Columbia. He was the first doctor to call in a prescription at the first of three Randall Pharmacies in California opened by his brother and best friend, Canoy. That prescription was for their beloved mother, Sadie.

Respected by, and a blessing to, many in the community, OT was an outstanding person and a fine example of who we should all aspire to be. He was a strong and great model as a husband, father, uncle, cousin, grandfather and friend to everyone blessed to have crossed his path. For all that knew the true Dr. Randall, second to his family and Glen Flora, Texas, his other love was walking the halls of Howard University Hospital at break-neck speed as he made early morning rounds teaching medical students, interns, residents, and fellows the Art of Medicine.

OT lived a good and gracious life. He departed our home on December 20, 2020, in a house on the very same family land where he was born and where he always said was where he loved and wanted to live out the remainder of his years. OT has made his way to his new heavenly home where he is welcomed by his parents JC and Sadie Randall; his brother and best friend Canoy Randall, and his sisters Ella Mae Sherman, Bertrua Randall Gibson, Clementine Randall, Vera Randall, Alberta Randall, and brother Ivory Randall.

Click here for Dr. OT Randall’s obituary.

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