Kent Russell Rhodes

Kent Russell Rhodes was born July 18, 1957, in Pittsburgh, PA, and died peacefully in his sleep July 6, 2020, at his home in Tuscaloosa, AL. He also owned property in Opelika. He was raised in the Pittsburgh area; Los Alamos, NM; and the suburbs of Los Angeles, CA, and Columbia, SC. Kent was preceded in death by his mother Frances Lavern Dickerson Rhodes and father Curtis A. Rhodes. He is survived by siblings Sandra Rhodes (Wake Forest, NC), Craig Rhodes (Silver Spring, MD), Scott Rhodes (Winston Salem, NC), their partners; a niece and a nephew; stepmother Suzanne Hughes Rhodes (Irmo, SC), and Clarice Jefferson of the home. Kent earned an associate degree in electrical engineering from Midlands Technical College and worked for Michelin for 20 years. Kent had his father’s aptitude for electronic and mechanical devices, and his own eye for style and art. He preferred wearing long-sleeved dress shirts and shoes, like his deceased grandfather Freddie Rhodes of San Perlita, TX. He enjoyed and excelled in art – painting, airbrush, prints, wire and metal sculptures, and was offered an art exhibit in Columbia when he finished high school. He shared his passion for art with Miriam Blake, his first love and art partner for two decades. He was the first in the neighborhood to own and ride a unicycle and taught many others to ride (later including his nephew Mark, who was soon playing unicycle frisbee). Neighborhood kids could be seen waving their arms in a crazy swimming motion to stay on top of a single wheel. He and his friends, who called themselves the “Baha Bunch,” made a motocross dirt track in a nearby woods, with jumps, turns and holes. Here he ran his bike, his home-made motorized “trike,” and practiced on his Kawasaki 175 dirt bike in preparation for weekend motocross events. Kent loved ‘wheels’–and always owned a motorcycle, a unicycle, and at least one car and one truck. Kent, his friends, and his father worked on motorcycles in their Columbia carport, rebuilding engines, and repairing the used motorcycles which were affordable to them at the time. Before Kent was licensed to drive a car, he had a paid after-school job repairing motorcycles. After high school he worked up to 70 hours a week replacing 1970s- and 1980s-era AM/FM factory-installed car radios in a local specialty shop. His slim, limber, well coordinated body could quickly and magically not only install but entertain observing customers. Having both electrical skills and an artistic eye, his shop work in the bay was often in demand for high-end luxury car stereo customizations. After hours, Kent installed and perfected free car stereo installations for family and friends. At Michelin he was a “go-to” person on many challenging engineering and interpretation issues at the interface of high-voltage electrical activation and high-force industrial machinery in an ancient factory lacking basic historical design records. He was always ready to help friends and family with anything, including electrical problems, and even mundane house painting (which he did not enjoy). Kent was a gentle and kind person always giving to others and asking for nothing in return. He especially enjoyed Christmas and, until the illness that took him from us, brought enthusiastic, joyful, and special cheer as well as thoughtful family gifts. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the USC Educational Foundation, Memo to Curtis A. Rhodes Mechanical Engineering Scholarship Fund. Mail checks to: University of South Carolina, Office of Gift Processing, 1027 Barnwell Street, Columbia, SC 29208.

Kent Russell Rhodes

July 18, 1957 - July 6, 2020