Dr. Randall Eldridge: A wonderful life of healing and carpe diem
Dr. Randall Eldridge and his wife, Dr. Stephanie Eldridge, practice podiatry in Burke County and in Catawba County, at Carolina Foot & Ankle Associates.
They are pleased that Carolina Foot & Ankle Associates is a Christian organization. “Each morning the staff takes a moment to go over a Bible verse and we pray for our patients.” Randall elaborates.
“Stephanie and I went through school studying together and because of that, working together has been an easier transition for us, because it’s all we knew. It’s fun being together at the same location.”
The Eldridges have lived in our area for eight years. Randall says, “Morganton is a truly beautiful community with the mountains in the background and I always have a sense of peace here. The people are genuinely very kind and that’s one of the main reasons that I came back to North Carolina. I am very happy to serve this community for podiatry needs.”
Randall lived in Charlotte for about 16 years before going to Philadelphia for his higher education. He explains, “I felt like coming back home to North Carolina. I was very excited to come back — I had a deep craving for Bojangles and southern living. Over the years I have transitioned towards farmers markets and expanded my cuisine by supporting our local restaurants. Stephanie is a ‘major foodie,’ and her zest for exploring various types of food styles has been fun.”
Randall majored in Biology with a minor in Business and has a Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine from Temple University. He and Stephanie met at orientation at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.
Rain as grace
Randall chuckles thinking about his and Stephanie’s first date. “We went to a restaurant in Philadelphia. After dinner we went outside and sat talking about life and kids and plans. A torrential downpour of rain came. It was so heavy that it was difficult to get from any point to another. We ended up running to the nearest awning and encountering two other groups that were also hiding out under the awning. In this space we became quick friends singing songs and mutually entertaining ourselves even through the hopelessness of staying dry.”
He continues, “After a while with no letting up, we took a run for it and made it as far as another second awning where we encountered a recently divorced couple on a first date. They seemed quite anxious, so I prayed with them. By that time there was a large pool of water about two feet deep in front of the restaurant where we had just been dining! I took another run for it, laughing and carrying Stephanie through the water to get to the transportation home.”
“I’ve always seen rain as a representation of God’s grace,” he reflects, “So I believe our first date was a good introduction to what life would be like with each other; in that God’s hand would guide us through the path that he willed for us and be with us in whatever challenges we faced on that path.”
A side of screenwriting
Randall’s entire family has been in the entertainment field in some form. “I grew up on the back lots of Universal Studios,” he explains, “where my father started out in film and entertainment. I started out in entertainment at the age of nine, doing a 13-episode Voice-Over series called “The Story Keepers” as a Voice-Over actor. I did various jobs over the years and also did a lot of unpaid work, helping out the family with many of the films.”
His most recent work includes, in 2022, “The Mulligan.” He was a co-writer on this project which was adapted from a Ken Blanchard and Wally Armstrong book. It is a parable about golf and life. It is currently on Amazon prime, and he highly recommends it.
Randall was also involved in writing “The Florida Wild” which was filmed in 2024. It will be coming out this year. You can check out more about this project on Instagram @floridawildmovie.
He was also an executive producer of A Little Women’s Christmas, which came out last year and won a movie guide award for “Best Family TV!”
Randall is excited to announce, “I’m currently working on a few new projects — more to come on those.”
Cherishing loved ones and the simple pleasures of life
Randall comes from a large family background with six kids in his family. He relates how one family matter gives him a unique perspective on life.
“My father had a Bjork Shiley valve put in the aortic valve of his heart in his 20s. It is a metal valve held in place by two metal struts. Later, it was found that it could develop fractures which could result in failure and sudden cardiac death at any time. The valve was recalled, but my dad has kept his in. This has been a reminder to me throughout life that no one is guaranteed tomorrow and that we should cherish those that we have while we have them.”
The Eldridges have three daughters, Olivia, who is six years old, Eva is four, and Mila is two. In Randall’s limited amount of downtime, he enjoys all kinds of activities with the kids, including video gaming as a family affair, and teaching his daughters to golf.
During his lunches, Randall has a regular habit of climbing at Bigfoot Climbing Gym and then frequenting the Food Matters Market right next door. He considers his life, in all its complexity, to be a wonderful life.
Fred Schuszler is a columnist for The Paper. He may be reached at fredschuszler@gmail.com.
