A Journey of Quiet Persistence
For Randy Crump ’77, engineering was never just about building systems and figuring out how the world worked. It was a pathway to defying the odds and marking it for others to follow. Being recognized as a 2026 MSOE Alumni Wall of Distinction inductee, Randy’s journey has been defined by quiet persistence, a promise kept to his late mother and an unwavering belief that opening doors for others is the ultimate measure of success.
The youngest of three boys, Randy was raised in Milwaukee by parents who migrated from Arkansas during the Great Migration after working as sharecroppers. His father worked second-shift as an assembler at Allis-Chalmers and ran a barbershop from their home on Saturdays, while his mother worked as a custodian at an East Side Boys Club.
Randy showed an early knack for tinkering and electronics. His father bought him model trains and racetracks, where he would assemble, dismantle and rebuild into increasingly complex multimodal systems. He also helped set up sound and lighting for his older brother’s local R&B band drawing on concepts from Popular Science to create custom mood-lighting displays for performances.
In 1966, an encounter with a young Black woman who visited his sixth-grade class set Randy’s life on a trajectory. She told the students she had gone to college. A revelation for eleven-year-old Randy who had never thought about pursuing education after high school.
“My mother told me she wanted me to be the first person in our family to attend college, and I remember committing myself to that goal. Neither of us could have realized how significant that moment would become. She passed away less than two years later.”
After his mother’s passing, Randy enrolled at Bradley Tech and Trade, where an exploratory technical curriculum exposed students to a wide range of skilled trades. Randy gravitated toward electronics. Then, before his senior year, another turning point arrived: Randy learned he was going to become a father.
His own father urged him to focus on working to support his growing family, but his promise to his mother remained at the forefront of his mind.
He worked with school leaders to split his days between classes and a second-shift job as a grinder in Cudahy, Wisconsin. His hard work paid off. After graduation, his hands-on training and encouragement from his teachers earned him a place at MSOE.
A Focused Future
His freshman year in electrical engineering tested that resolve. Balancing MSOE’s quarter system with working third shift at a foundry, Randy found his demanding schedule beginning to take a toll on his grades.
“I reminded myself constantly that the sacrifice was necessary, but temporary. I stayed focused by keeping the mission in front of me: to earn my degree, support my family and build a better future for all of us.” Randy and his future wife, Joann, who was pursuing her degree at Marquette University, supported each other through college as young parents.
Before his sophomore year, Randy secured an internship at Eaton Corporation, then Cutler-Hammer, through INROADS, an organization that connects talented minority students with corporate internships.
At Eaton, Randy persuaded his supervisor to let him take lab equipment home so he could work on projects after hours. The internship allowed him to leave the foundry and focus on a demanding 21-credit course load, where he earned a 4.0 GPA.
In class, he was initially shy about asking multiple questions but was determined never to leave a room without an answer.
He also focused on expanding his communication and leadership skills. He joined Tau Omega Mu fraternity, tutored classmates in math and enrolled in communication courses, inspired by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ability to move audiences through his speeches. Conversations with practicing engineers at Eaton convinced Randy that pairing business acumen with technical expertise was key to creating long-term impact. So when he had the opportunity to take an evening sales engineering course at MSOE alongside working professionals, he jumped at it.
After graduating from MSOE with honors in 1977, he stayed with Eaton as a sales and application engineer, serving and excelling in the role for nearly a decade. He continued that relationship as an independent wholesaler and systems fabricator for nearly another ten years.
A Commitment to Community
In 1995, Randy’s commitment to community-building culminated in the founding of Prism Technical Management and Marketing Services, LLC. The firm supports both small businesses and major companies on infrastructure projects, while integrating workforce development, inclusion and compliance into large-scale construction initiatives.
“Beyond helping shape Milwaukee’s skyline in ways that will endure for generations, we have helped connect thousands of adults, many of whom are mothers and fathers, with careers in the construction trades and engineering at major contractors and consulting firms. These family-supporting jobs provide a foundation for building stronger, healthier families for generations to come,” Randy said.
Through Prism, Randy has continued opening doors for local youth. In partnership with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) through its RISE program, Prism helped more than 100 high school students secure paid summer engineering internships and launch careers. Prism also created the Dream Chasing initiative to mentor local teens and expose them to post-secondary opportunities.
“We have mentored, arranged travel for and escorted 107 teens from across Milwaukee County, helping them become masters of their own fates. Today, many are entrepreneurs and hold leadership positions around the world. At least three are MSOE graduates.”
Looking back, Randy recognizes the many obstacles he overcame and credits his steady determination with keeping him moving forward.
“I recognize that statistically, none of this was supposed to happen. The odds were against me. Fortunately, I’ve never felt hopeless and I have been truly blessed.”
He says his induction into the MSOE Alumni Wall of Distinction honors a career focused on using engineering as a catalyst to help elevate others.
“It is an unexpected and tremendous personal honor, especially because I’ve used my engineering education to improve the lives of ordinary citizens in our community. I hope my story will inspire other professionals to pause and ask, ‘Why not?’ Because if we all do a little more, no one has to be overburdened.”