By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer
This year, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) was honored to receive a tremendous charitable donation to its Scholarship Program in memory of a longtime supporter of the organization.
Each year, the CMP awards a six-figure sum toward high school seniors involved in marksmanship activities. The funds are distributed as one-time $1,000, $3,000 and $5,000 scholarships as well as four recurring $5,000 scholarships, awarded over four years ($20,000 overall) for use toward any future endeavor.
Like the CMP, Michael Randall of Orlando, Fla., was passionate about youth initiatives. After years of working within his family’s cutlery business, Randall Made Knives, Michael passed away on Oct. 8, 2024, at 56 years old.
Michael’s death was unexpected. To counter their grief, his family wanted to do something that reflected who Michael was and decided that in lieu of flowers, individuals who wanted to honor his memory could make donations to the CMP.
After hearing of the family’s wishes, a group of Randall Knives enthusiasts and friends assembled to make an impact.
Duke McCaa has been in the firearms industry over 40 years and became an authorized Randall Made Knives dealer. Through the connection, McCaa has gotten to know the Randall family well over the last few decades and even spent time with Michael talking about his interests, which included a love for marksmanship.
“Michael was passionate about firearms and shot a lot locally but liked to go up in the mountains in the Carolinas and to the CMP range in Talladega. He really liked that range,” McCaa said.
After hearing of Michael’s passing, McCaa and his business partner, Mitchell Harrison, decided to donate a knife from their inventory to sell, with all proceeds going to the CMP in Michael’s name.
They held a benefit online that allowed entrants the chance to win in a random drawing. With interest from various members of the “Randall Made Knives” Facebook group, the benefit incredibly grew from one knife to nine.
“This Randall fraternity is big,” McCaa said. “Word spread quickly, and lots of guys wanted to buy chances, but also, lots of guys wanted to donate knives to put in the deal to sell chances on. It just grew and grew.”
The contest was open for one week. A total of 390 entries were received during that time, reaching $15,600 overall.
With the response from the fundraiser, the family of Michael Thomas Randall contributed three $5,000 scholarships, to be awarded as the Michael T. Randall Memorial Scholarships, to 2025 CMP Scholarship recipients.
“We hoped for $5,000, and we blew passed that, and then $10,000,” McCaa recalled. “Pretty amazing. We hope to continue contributing a scholarship yearly in Michael’s memory.”
To recognize the Randall family’s contribution, the CMP is placing a granite paver on the grounds of Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama in Michael’s memory – so that he may always be a part of the range and the sport he loved.
The CMP would like to sincerely thank the family of Michael Randall for their generous donation as well as all those who supported the cause. Find out more about CMP’s Scholarship Program at https://thecmp.org/youth/cmp-scholarship-program/.
About Michael Randall and Randall Made Knives:
Michael was a graduate of Valdosta State and worked several years for the Florida Department of Corrections as a probation officer. He later joined the family business as a cutler while facilitating various administrative duties, including the shop’s museum. A lover of the outdoors, he enjoyed hunting, fishing and photography – among other activities.
Michael Randall is survived by his parents, Gary and Janice, older sister Margaret, younger brother Jason and their families.
Randall Made Knives, based in Orlando, Fla., was founded in 1938 by Michael’s grandfather, Bo. The hand-made knives have been used by troops in World War II and Vietnam, astronauts, government agents, celebrities, royalty and more. Eventually, Michael’s father, Gary, took over the business and maintained its strong reputation of quality craftsmanship that continues to carry a multi-year waiting list for its customer base. Gary’s sons Jason and Michael also eventually joined the business.
Further highlighting their demand, McCaa explained, “Randall Made Knives are back ordered seven years. The exception to this is buying through an authorized dealer, but there are only a handful worldwide, and even as a dealer, we get our orders in six or eight months.”
Learn more about Randall Made Knives at https://randallknives.com/.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.
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