Ransford Comstock Pyle

About Ransford Comstock Pyle

The author was a Depression baby (born October 8, 1936 in Chicago), named after Ransford Comstock, an ancestor on his mother’s side who served in the Revolutionary War (on the winning side). After a modest middle-class life nine years in Oak Park, Illinois, prosperity struck. This allowed a move to Boulder, Colorado for his father’s health and later provided sufficient funds for an elite education (Andover and Harvard, total cost $16,000—can you believe it?), followed by a law degree and Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Yes, he was a professional student (in the days they paid a clever fellow to pursue graduate studies). Despite memberships in the Florida and Georgia Bars, Ransford enjoyed school so much he elected to follow a career in college teaching. He ultimately retired from his final tenure at the University of Central Florida in 2003, simultaneously turning bachelor (divorced third wife, still friends). Except for a brief stint (three years) as a spy for the U.S. Army (Japanese linguist), and a failed attempt at becoming a great painter, school of one kind or another was home. After writing three books on law, Ransford began writing memories and reflections, including conversations with his dead brother, John, who committed suicide in 1960. These conversations formed the core of his book, “Beyond Suicide; Conversations with My Brother,” his first non-academic book.

He is currently working on a book of memoirs and reflections, can’t decide if it is fiction or non-fiction like his last book. Tentative title: “Counting Worms; Reflections of an Ugly Baby.” The title is drawn from his first job at 11, counting worms for sale to trout fisherman in Colorado, and a comment his father made to Ransford when he was in his forties, namely, “You were the ugliest baby I ever saw.” Hope to have this finished before Christmas 2019.