When Bernard Randall was a child growing up in England, he traveled once a year, never venturing more than 15-20 miles from his hometown of Flitwick.
‘I never believed I’d ever leave England,? he says.
But in 1967, Randall won a two-year scholarship to train as an engineer at the General Motors Institute in Flint. Now, nearly 40 years later, his home is in Brandon Township, more than 3,700 miles away from where he was born and raised.
Randall, who was born at the end of World War II, recalls that his mother didn’t have many good things to say about Americans.
‘They (Americans) had all the meat, all the chocolate, and the English were on rations,? he said, noting she would be upset at self-serve places in England where U.S. citizens would heap their plates and then throw away three-quarters of the food. ‘I didn’t know how I would like the U.S.?
Still, the University of Luton graduate jumped at the chance to come to America, and arrived in New York City in July, 1968.
‘My first impression was how vast things are,? says Randall, who during a week-long New York stay would see the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building, a performance by the Rockettes, and a New York Yankees game (which he described as ‘different.?) ‘I was very impressed with it.?
He then came to Flint and spent a week in a hotel while looking for more permanent accommodations and his own transportation.
‘It was a big step forward,? says Randall, 62.’Everything was new. The supermarkets are big, the roads are twice as wide here. Everything is on a bigger scale.?
It took him about a week to get used to driving on the right side of the road. One night, he drove under a flashing red light and says he was lucky he didn’t get hit.
‘I really had to concentrate for a couple weeks,? says Randall, who noted that in England, public transportation was the number one way to get around.
He found it easier to make himself at home since the food and language was the same. He remembers, however, how Americans were fascinated with his accent.
‘They’d get a glazed look,? he recalls. ‘They were listening to the accent and not hearing what I was saying.?
Having heard about how bad the winters in Michigan were, he found lodging at a Pontiac boardinghouse, to be closer to Detroit Diesel, part of a co-op with GM Institute. In England, he had made about $3,300 a year, but was to earn $6,000 a year here as a student. Randall says he thought he had died and gone to heaven.
He notes that in England, because there wasn’t a lot of money, people had to save and wait to get things, there were not as many material things as in the U.S. But Randall, who had always wanted a camera, bought a Pentax with his increased income.
He and seven other Brits also training in the co-op between GMI and Detroit Diesel wanted to see as much of the United States as possible. During his two-year stay, he saw 42 states, as well as traveled to the Bahamas.
‘It became a quest to see as many states as you could,? said Randall, who celebrated New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, drove to Florida one summer and went out west the next summer. ‘I prefer the countryside to the city. Part of seeing the states was seeing the terrain and what they had to offer.?
In Flint in 1969, Randall met his wife, Gretchen. They married in 1970, with Randall’s parents flying to Pennsylvania for their only child’s wedding. The newlyweds would move to England in July when the scholarship ended.
‘She was OK with going to England to live,? remembers Randall. ‘Love conquered all until we got to England. For me, coming to the U.S. was a 20-year step into the future. For her, coming to England was a 20-year step back in time.?
Gone was the convenience of shopping. In England, there were long lines and nowhere to park. Gretchen Randall had to use public transportation, since she couldn’t use their manual transmission car, and she had to carry everything in bags.
‘I’d come home and she’d say, ‘I can have my bags packed in 10 minutes,?? recalls Randall. ‘If she was on vacation, it would have been quaint. It’s tough when you can’t get the conveniences. She felt like she was the outsider.?
After three years, Randall says Gretchen was used to England as home. They lived in Ampthill, 40 miles north of London. All three of their children? Shaun, Stephanie, and Scott? were born there. By British standards, they had a nice home? 800 square feet and two stories.
But in 1976, during a recession in England and when their youngest child was a year-old and their oldest child was about to start school, Randall was offered 2,000 pounds (about 4,000 U.S. dollars) in a buyout from General Motors. He took the money, bought five plane tickets and paid for all their household belongings to be shipped to the U.S. and brought his family to America.
They stayed with relatives and after six weeks, Randall got a job with GM Truck and Coach Division in Pontiac.
Within two months, son Shaun had lost his cute English accent and Randall says no one would know he wasn’t American. In February 1977, they moved to Brandon Township for a permanent stay.
‘It was a step forward in time,? says Randall. ‘We knew we’d have a better life here (in the U.S.), and provide for the family better here. The big thing is salaries. The cost of living is less here… You’re more capable of achieving here. Fewer worries.?
The difficult part was leaving Randall’s parents in England.
He holds his thumb and finger very close together, almost touching, to demonstrate how big he felt when he told his parents they were coming to America. Although he is not a tearful person, he says there were a lot of tears when he took their pride and joy? their grandchildren? away.
Randall’s parents came to the U.S. frequently for visits, staying 3-4 months at a time. The Randalls went back to England once as a family, and Bernie and Gretchen Randall have been back twice, most recently last year for his aunt and uncle’s 50th anniversary, and he has gone a few times alone.
Randall became a U.S. citizen in 1996 after years of procrastination.
‘There was no big incentive, but I knew I would never go back to England, so I got my citizenship,? says Randall, who adds that at heart, he is still British, but ‘I am pleased to be a U.S. citizen… I wouldn’t change any of it.?