In 1973, Jennifer Randolph’s 6th grade teacher assigned the class a handmade picture book assignment. She wrote and illustrated Elmer the Elephant, the story of an elephant who runs away to the circus. From an early age, “Jenny” (as her friends and family know her) developed a love for journaling her feelings. Randolph went on to enjoy a successful career in broadcast journalism after studying at Ohio University, despite not receiving a college degree. Writing provided her with a creative and therapeutic release throughout her life, giving her purpose through illness and hardship as well as joy. Randolph shares her story of perseverance, as well as advocates for anyone to write out their thoughts and feelings, especially those battling mental illness.
Listen to Jennifer’s story in her own words.
This object is part of the “Personal Growth” section of the Artifacts of Experience exhibition designed by University of Cincinnati students in the “Introduction to Public History” course in 2023.
We encourage you to explore the other objects in our collection.
Transcript
Jennifer Randolph: My name is Jennifer Randolph. I was in the 6th grade, and I wrote about Elmer the elephant, who runs away to the circus. He finds a little pet monkey and they run off happily to join the circus, and his parents come to the show to see him where they are reunited, in a nutshell. It was Miss Williams’ [class] at St Thomas Moore School in Withamsville, Ohio. The whole class had a project, we each did our own book, and I’ve been writing ever since. I find writing to be very expressive. Ever since a teacher told me to “write your feelings down in a journal”, I kept journals all through grade school and high school. I chose Broadcast Journalism at Ohio University in 1980, and I just felt a desire to expose the truth in my writing, and [through] the people I met. After college I joined WLWT TV News, [in] 1984. Without a college degree they hired me, which was very unusual back then. They brought me to a room and showed me stacks of applications from the ceiling to the floor and told me “We selected you”, and I felt very honored. I was hired in production, and they threw some journalism pieces my way, and I really excelled in creative writing. I’m semi-retired now, but I really enjoy writing letters. It’s a dying art. A lot of people don’t write letters anymore, and I find it’s very satisfactory. Especially among family members who are out of town. I struggled quite a bit. I’ve been hospitalized quite a few times with chronic illness, and I found it very comforting to write to a friend in Switzerland. For a period of about 5 years I wrote [her] a letter a week, and It was very rewarding to get all that madness out. It put some worth into my otherwise non-consequential life that I was living at the time. I still write, I find a lot of value in writing, and I would recommend it to anybody to have clarity of focus and mind.