MELVIN HOWARD RANDALL Howard, as he was affectionately called by his family and friends, was bom 10 December 1879, in Centerville, Utah. He was one of eleven children bom to Melvin Harley Randall and Frankie Phelps. From his youth, Howard was taught the gospel by parents who were dedicated and loyal to the Church ofjesus Christ. Melvin Harley Randall, Howard's father, served as a counselor in a bishopric for twenty-two years and then as bishop for twelve more years. Howard, greatly influenced by his father, gave similar service throughout his adult life. A characteristic which set Howard apart was his punctuality; a trait he learned from his mother who bore the responsibility of getting eleven children ready and to their meetings on time. As president ofthe Morgan Stake, Howard was never late to his meetings. "As a small child Howard's legs were bowed which caused him difficulty in walking. His father fixed splints which Howard would wear on his legs at night to correct the bow in them. As he would adjust to the tightness ofthe splints and become used to wearing them his father would again tighten them. This process was repeated over a period of time until Howard's legs were straight." With the correction of his legs, Howard was able to participate in sports with other young men of his community—baseball being his favorite sport. Over a thousand acres in Morgan were purchased and owned by the Randall Corporation. This included much ofthe Cottonwood area, as well as a large home which was located where Harry and Dorothy Wilkinson's present home is today. It was here that Howard spent his summer months working. On 16 May 1900, Howard was ordained a seventy by J. Golden Kimball, a member of the First Council of Seventy. That same month a call was extended to him by President Lorenzo Snow to serve as a full time missionary in the Southern States Mission. The mission included, at the time of Howard's call, the states of Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Florida. While serving in the mission field, Howard on several different occasions, miraculously escaped the hands of cruel mobs who sought to inflict bodily harm. Howard was released as a missionary after serving faithfully for twenty-six months. Two years after returning from the mission field, he married Mattie Whitear in the Salt Lake Temple. They established their home in Milton 253