College celebrates 64 years during Founders’ Week, honors distinguished alumnus Robert Idol
Randolph Community College celebrated its past, present, and future during Founders’ Week, Aug. 31-Sept. 4, marking the College’s 64th anniversary with a week of remembrance, appreciation, service, and recognition that culminated with the return of the Distinguished Alumni Award after a 20-year absence.
Robert Idol, a 1977 graduate of RCC’s Interior Design program whose nearly five-decade career has earned recognition throughout the interior design and home furnishings industries, was named the College’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient during the Sept. 4 Founders’ Day celebration.
Employees show their RCC pride on Spirit Day during the Employee Appreciation and Retiree Luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 3, as part of the Founders’ Week festivities.
“Founders’ Week gave us an opportunity to celebrate the people and the purpose that have shaped Randolph Community College over the past 64 years,” President/CEO Dr. Shah Ardalan said. “We honored those who built this institution, those who serve our students today, and alumni like Robert Idol who demonstrate what is possible when an RCC education becomes the foundation for a lifetime of achievement. Robert’s extraordinary career, his leadership in his profession, and his continued investment in our students make him an exceptional representative of Randolph Community College.”
RCC opened its doors as Randolph Industrial Education Center on Sept. 4, 1962, with 115 full-time students, eight faculty members, and four staff members. Students enrolled in five curriculum areas — Automotive Mechanics, Drafting, Electricity, Electronics, Machine Shop, and Welding — four of which the College continues to offer today.
The anniversary celebration began Aug. 31 with a Hall of History Photo Exhibit in the Student Services Center featuring images from each decade of the College’s history. On Sept. 1, the RCC Foundation revived its Scholarship Donor Appreciation Luncheon, a tradition that began in 1990, bringing together scholarship donors and the students their generosity supports.
Founders’ Week continued Sept. 2 with a service project in downtown Asheboro near RCC’s Education & Engagement Center. College employees joined Bob Langston, Conservation Outreach Coordinator with the North Carolina Zoo, for a community cleanup.
Ardalan gives an update on the College’s recent accomplishments and future plans during the Scholarship Donor Appreciation Luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
The College celebrated its employees and retirees Sept. 3 with RCC Spirit Day and a combined Employee Appreciation and Retiree Luncheon. The event brought together current employees and retirees whose service helped shape the College, with Ardalan making a special presentation to retirees.
The week culminated Sept. 4 — 64 years to the day after the College first opened — with RCC’s Founders’ Day celebration. Mitchell Kiser, retired Division Chair of Industrial, Engineering & Transportation who worked at RCC from 1986-2017, and Toni Formato, a 2019 RCC Associate in Arts graduate and current advisor at UNC-Chapel Hill, shared their experiences and reflected on RCC’s impact on their lives and the community.
The celebration also marked the return of RCC’s Distinguished Alumni Award, which had not been presented in 20 years. The award recognizes alumni who have achieved significant distinction in their profession, trade, business, military service, public service, education, or community leadership and whose accomplishments reflect positively on the College. Recipients exemplify the values of service, leadership, innovation, and lifelong learning.
Nearly five decades of design
Idol earned his Associate Degree in Interior Design from RCC in 1977 and began his professional career with Drexel Heritage. He later served as design director for Bryant-Forney Associates, established his own design practice and held major creative leadership positions with Lane Furniture and Furniture Brands International.
At Lane, Idol led corporate design efforts that included showroom design in major domestic and international markets, product direction and retail store design. He led a team of 24 designers and accessory buyers, worked with licensees including Country Living, Eddie Bauer and National Geographic, and created the Robert Idol Furniture Collection. He later served as Vice President of Creative Strategy for Furniture Brands International, contributing style direction for Drexel, Thomasville, Lane and Broyhill.
His career also has included residential and commercial interiors, wholesale showrooms and product design. In 2005, Idol launched three product lines bearing his name at the International Home Furnishings Market in High Point — furniture for Lane, lighting for Currey & Company, and wall décor for Corporate Art Services.
Through Idol Design, he has continued to work on high-end residential, office, and showroom projects across the country. His professional honors include awards from the American Society of Interior Designers and Design STL. He served as president of the ASID Missouri East Chapter in 2018, and his designs have appeared in publications including Better Homes & Gardens, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles, and St. Louis Magazine.
Idol also has renewed his connection with RCC, supporting the Interior Design program, helping connect students with opportunities through the High Point Furniture Market, and assisting with the remodeling of the program’s spaces on campus.
“Coming to Randolph Community College ignited a passion I never knew I had,” he said. “The foundation I received here — from demanding but dedicated instructors to a community that believed in me — made it possible to build a 50-year design career that has reached across the country and around the world. Everything I’ve accomplished began in these classrooms, and I am profoundly grateful to RCC for pointing me in the right direction.”
Those who supported Idol’s nomination described an accomplished designer whose professional success has been matched by his character and generosity. Longtime industry colleague Connie Lineberry called him an “extremely talented, kind and humble man,” while Melinda Klinghammer, owner of Design & Detail, described Idol as a mentor who generously shares his knowledge and encourages others to succeed.
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About Randolph Community College: Randolph Community College (RCC), under the leadership of President/CEO Dr. Shah Ardalan, is committed to providing relevant career training and educational opportunities. Ranked No. 1 in North Carolina by Niche.com, the College offers affordable degrees and short-term certificate programs that start throughout the year, both in person and online. To register, visit randolph.edu/register or call 336-633-0200 and expect to engage with the most competent and compassionate team of faculty and staff.