Botetourt Folks: Randy Rakes

October 1, 2018 Reader Submission

Botetourt Folks

Is it possible to get a good job at age 70? Plenty of 70 year olds will tell you “no,” but Randy Rakes isn’t one. He started a series of careers after graduating from high school in the coal country. And at age 70 hasn’t stopped yet.

Speaking of high school, while attending he participated on a team that won a regional competition acting in a play, “You Can’t Take it With You.” The prize was a trip to Charlottesville, but glory did not lure him away. A year of college after graduation occupied his time until he volunteered to go to Vietnam in 1969. Because he was assigned to the Army’s finance department handling payroll, he managed a lessened time behind a gun in the field., and was not injured.

But his goal in life had been to work as a state trooper. So because of his war duty he obtained his choice of assignments, Botetourt County. And he has never left the county to this day. Rakes liked the uniform and the occasional 100 mile per hour chase but he soon had his mind on more money. So he went to the cement plant. His first year he did “just about anything” they needed, but worked his way up to management. Eventually, as the plant is part of a highly regulated industry, he had to deal with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to keep the company on the straight and narrow.

In between all of this career advancing in 1981 he met and married Joyce, a nurse at Roanoke Memorial, where she still works. For a while each one of them was a full time student along side full time employment. She earned her degree in nursing. Plus he got an associates degree in administration of justice, followed by a bachelor’s in human resource management. “I liked being a student.”

As well Rakes liked work challenges, taking on a job in human resources at Dynax.

This work entailed four trips to Japan, and saw him helping set up the program that sends local students to Japan. In between all his career moves he was appointed to serve 8 years total on the Board of Directors for Virginia Western. And also helped his wife raise their children.

Facing actual retirement again, he wanted something else to do and so purchased Botetourt Lube Tech, an oil change service. Running that calls for more effort than he could manage so he’s selling it. Finally he decided on getting training in phlebotomy. So now at age 70 he has done the impossible, he’s found a good job in the lab at Carilion Clinic. Yes, you can find a good job at age 50. Even age 70.