Wed 22 Sep 2021
Death Noted: J. RANDOLPH COX (1936-2021).
Posted by Steve under Obituaries / Deaths Noted[11] Comments
It is with much sadness that I pass along news of the death of Randy Cox, a long-time correspondent and friend. He died in a nursing home on September 14th, just over a week ago. We met many times at various conventions over the years, starting in the 1970s. These include Old Time Radio Conventions and Pulpcons. The list below of awards, publications (only partial) and other achievements demonstrate full well his many interests, all of which are aligned with mine.
Before his hospitalization earlier this year, he was a frequent commenter on this blog, many of them (but hardly all!) pointing out various typos and other corrections, always to my dismay. His one actual post was entitled “A Discussion: THE FUTURE OF TV WATCHING, by Michael Shonk and Randy Cox.†which appeared here on 14 March 2015.
In person, Randy was a delight to talk to. Not only did we have many interests in common, but he’d also met and/or corresponded with many famous writers and had many stories to tell about them. In groups of other people, I heard some of these stories several times, but they were just as delightful and enjoyable each and every time. One thing’s for sure. I’m going to miss him.
â— Long time librarian at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.
â— Editor of The Dime Novel Round-Up for over 20 years.
â— Editor of Masters of Mystery and Detective Fiction (Scarecrow Press, 1989)
â— Author of Man of Magic and Mystery (Scarecrow Press, 1989; a biblio-biography of Walter Gibson, the creator of The Shadow)
â— Author of The Dime Novel Companion (Greenwood Press, 2000)
â— Co-author (with David S. Siegel) of Flashgun Casey, Crime Photographer (Book Hunter Press, 2005)
â— Recipient of the Munsey Award presented at PulpFest in 2014.
Thanks to Jiro Kimura at The Gumshoe Site for much of the information above.
September 22nd, 2021 at 1:38 pm
Very nicely done!
September 22nd, 2021 at 4:07 pm
I had many conversations with Randy at the Pulpcons and he was one of few left that attended the first one in 1972. I knew this was coming because the last issue of The Dime Novel Round UP mentioned that he had entered hospice and was quite ill.
I too will miss him.
September 22nd, 2021 at 7:20 pm
He was one of those names you knew and who you read as you became more involved in pulps and reading. I never knew him I’m sad to say, but I certainly know his work.
We can’t spare that many like him.
September 22nd, 2021 at 8:33 pm
[…] J. RANDOLPH COX (1936-2021). Randy Cox died in a nursing home on September 14 reports Mysteryfile.com. Cox edited The Dime Novel Round-Up for over 20 year. He wrote several books including Man of Magic […]
September 22nd, 2021 at 9:00 pm
If you follow a couple of links starting from Comment #4, you will find a photo of Randy holding his plaque after winning the Munsey Award at PulpFest in 2014.
September 23rd, 2021 at 12:19 am
Randy was a gentleman and a gentle man. While I can’t say we were especially close friends, he was someone I always looked forward to seeing at Pulpcon. He also was one of the charter subscribers to BLOOD ‘N’ THUNDER, and in the zine’s early years his feedback was very helpful.
September 23rd, 2021 at 7:36 am
A delight at every Cinevent! Sounds strange to say I’ll miss a man I only saw once a year, bu Randy had that kind of presence.
September 23rd, 2021 at 8:39 am
Sad. I remember him back in the 70s. He sent regular letters of comment when I did The Poisoned Pen, wrote reviews and even did an article on The Crime Fiction of Arthur Train.
RIP
September 23rd, 2021 at 9:49 am
Randy was a gentleman and a scholar, and more than that, he was generous, whimsical, and witty, a pleasure to talk with. He had devoted his life to studying and documenting popular culture, and his works will endure. Would that he had lasted longer!
June 14th, 2024 at 12:57 am
I connected with RANDY some years ago after Googling “George Harmon Coxe.” I had a question to which I’d hoped to find the answer after reading the first half dozen or so Kent Murdock mysteries and found that Randy was the go-to for information.
My question was, “What happened to Joyce Murdock?!” To make a long story short,he answered my question, sent me a cassette tape of an interview he’d done with Coxe, other materials, etc., AND acknowledged me in the “credits” to his Flash Gun Casey book. I’m sorry to say that, only now, after starting to re-read the mysteries, have I learned that this dear man has passed away.
June 14th, 2024 at 10:06 am
I think everyone who crossed paths with Randy had the same reaction, that he was indeed a dear man. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Jean.