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Remembering our classmate Stephen (Steve) Lang:
I received the following email from classmate Rick Rubens regarding classmate Stephen (Steve) Lang who died 40 years ago Monday:
The Chicago Tribune ran an article on May 27, "Face of the victims of Flight 191". They had a really nice picture of Steve & Susan Lang. Steve was a classmate of mine from 1st grade through high school. Think of him often.
Rick
"The couple was traveling without their children to California to represent Barrington's Countryside Books at the American Booksellers Association."
Here are some comments from Steve's classmates:
Steve died on May 25, 1979, he was on American Airlines flight 191 a DC 10.. Horrific accident. It was later attributed to faulty maintenance on the port engine. On takeoff the port side engine detached from the plane. The DC 10 by design might have continued to fly without the engine but the engine severed the hydraulic lines in the wing when it came off. The plane had no control and 250+ people died. I lost a friend who was a flight attendant. Steve was a great guy. James Lev
If that was that Memorial Day plane crash that killed most of the staff of Esquire Magazine, I saw it from the highway. It was horrible and has haunted me ever since. At first I thought an oil refinery had blown up. Steve and Sue I knew by sight only, but not really personally. They were very nice people, however, and I'm sorry their children and families had to go through that. Nancy Hoffmann
I also passed the accident site that day. A tremendous amount of smoke was visible just south of the NW tollway. With a class of close to 1,000 students it is hard to remember everyone, but all our lives touched one and another many times while at NT. It was an awful accident and a great loss from many people. Alan Rosen
Help me--this accident was on takeoff from Ohare, or landing at Ohare, or was it another city? I don't remember any such accident because I wasn't living in the Chicago area at that time. I remember Stephen from being in Scouts and we met at his house. I don't remember much except being taught how to tie knots by his father. I remember learning of his tragic and sudden death as a young man. I continue to grieve for his parents who lost their only child. Edwin Alexander
Steve was a very good guitarist, and although I never played in a band or anything with him, I heard him play numerous times at various New Trier student functions. I, too, was shocked to hear of his passing many years ago. Andy Gilmore
I was also going to add that I remember him playing the guitar somewhere and being impressed with how good he was. He had a nice smile and seemed well liked. Laurel Herbenar Bossen
Do I recall correctly that Steve married Harper School "alum" Sue Lott (Lotts?), who also died in the plane crash that took Steve's life? Jane Heggie Hart
Yes, Jane you are correct. Steve and Sue were married and lived with 2 sons in the Bull Valley area of McHenry County, Illinois. I was a pre NTHS friend of Steve's and Sue and my wife Laura were pals growing up at Harper school. They were a terrific and fun couple and were tragically killed on a flight departing O'Hare on route to a publishing convention in California. I believe Sue's brother raised their children. John (Jock) Simpson
These memories are mostly for the Harper School/Wilmette Junior High contingent. When I was in sixth grade I had my first "date", and it was with Steve Lang, who lived up the street from me on Thornwood Avenue (along with Paula Snorf, Sue Ann Minter and Alida Edwards). My father used to tell the tale that when he opened the door for Steve, who had come to pick me up, he said "Why, hello Steve! Somehow I was expecting a much older man!") I'm shocked to hear the tragic circumstances of Steve's early death. Another strange twist is that one of Steve's best friends in our class was Gifford Hooker. We lost track of Gifford early on - maybe he moved away from Wilmette - but I heard he also died very young in a plane crash. I've been thinking of "Gifford and Steve" all morning - they were leaders of the pack in sixth grade. Susan Waterfall
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Nancy Hoffmann
If that was that Memorial Day plane crash that killed most of the staff of Esquire Magazine, I saw it from the highway. It was horrible and has haunted me ever since. At first I thought an oil refinery had blown up. Steve and Sue I knew by sight only, but not really personally. They were very nice people, however, and I'm sorry their children and families had to go through that.
James Lev
Steve died on May 25, 1979, he was on American Airlines flight 191 a DC 10.. Horrific accident. it was later attributed to faulty maintenance on the port engine. On takeoff the port side engine detached from the plane. The DC 10 by design might have continued to fly without the engine but the engine severed the hydraulic lines in the wing when it came off. the plane had no control and 250+ people died. I lost a friend who was a flight attendant.
Steve was a great guy.
Alan Rosen
I also passed the accident site that day. A tremendous amount of smoke was visible just south of the NW tollway.
With a class of close to 1,000 students it is hard to remember everyone, but all our lives touched one and another many times while at NT. It was an awful accident and a great loss from many people.
ar
Leslie Desmond
Help me--this accident was on takeoff from Ohare, or landing at Ohare, or was it another city? I don't remember any such accident because I wasn't living in the Chicago area at that time.
Sue, your first date??? Was your dad teasing when he told Steve that he was expecting a much older man, or was he serious? My dad had a dry sense of humor in those days, and used it when he met my dates and they chatted in the living room, which was de rigeur back then. The worst thing he used to say was "There's one thing you need to know about my daughter. She's the only girl I know who waters her feet, so they'll grow. That's why they're so big..." Of course I was furious and mortified, because my feet WERE big, and I was extremely self-conscious about them. Furthermore, the poor boys didn't get it at all, they simply thought he was a lunatic. Now, in retrospect, I do indeed think it's funny, and a great way to distinguish the sharp guys with a sense of humor from the rest of the boys. But I, at 13-17, was sooo embarrassed about my big feet.... Wow, am I glad those insecure days are largely over.
Sue, did you know Mike Bloomfield? I'm trying to find some musical people who might have known him back then. Quite a famous, talented, and fascinating guy, although I never knew him, perhaps because he was expelled after two years, and also tragically died early, at 41. My husband, also a guitarist, thinks Mike was one of the absolutely best blues guitarists ever, black or white; Rolling Stone magazine ranks him as the twentieth best guitarist ever.
Robert Jaman
I knew Mike Bloomfield his brother Allen graduated with us. He was from Glencoe. He was the greatest blues guitarist ever. produced some of Dylans first albums. Took him electric at the 1965 Newpot Jazz Festival on a new song " LIKE A ROLLING STONE", maybe you heard of it. Formed THE ELECTRIC FLAG, PAUL BUTTERFIELD BAND, which is being inducted this year in the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME.DIED of a heroin overdose around 1982. Was he the best ? Clapton said he learned to play guitar by listening to Bloomfield.
Arthur Hasse
To Lesli Desmond re: Help me--this accident was on takeoff from Ohare, or landing at Ohare, or was it another city? I don't remember any such accident because I wasn't living in the Chicago area at that time.
It was a take-off accident at Ohare in the early 80s as I recall. That accident was studied and reviewed for years in my annual recurrent training. I can provide details if you wish but didn't want to "build the watch" if you just wanted to "know the time'.
Art Hasse
Leslie Desmond
To Art: thanks very much for enlightening me. No, I don't need a watch; like the youngsters, I use my cell phone to tell time.......
Leslie Desmond
And thanks also to Robert: I'm so glad someone actually knew Mike Bloomfield. I became aware of him in the Bay Area when I was in college and after, getting into music a bit more "out there" than the Kingston Trio, Glenn Yarborough, and the Shirelles. I seem to recall the Paul Butterfield Blues Band playing at The Gate of Horn and/or Mr. Kelly's; I know I saw Oscar Brown Jr. there and others.
Glencoe must has been like Siberia to those of us from southern Wilmette; I never knew Bloomfield, Siskel, and other renowned Glencoe NT students. Did know Ann Margaret, Bob Stickgold (don't know if he was from Glencoe, but he was a math whiz, walked around with a slide rule hanging from his belt, and allegedly did something pretty impressive related to computers.
My mom went to NT with Rock Hudson and Charleton Heston. More than that I do not know..... L.
Edwin Alexander
When I saw that Steve's obit page was empty, I thought, what a shame. Even though I hardly knew him, I thought something should be posted there. Thank you all for jumping in and sharing. I wonder if anyone has a way to contact his surviving family to let them know that many of his classmates still remember him?
Robert Jaman
Leslie, Bloomfield lived amd dieid in San Francisco.Played alot at Fillmore West. As far as the seperation beyween Willmette and Glencoe was concerned that was the problem with New Trier, most of us didnt know each other.It might as well been two different schools. Name are mentioned here and i have no idea who they are. You can imagine what it was like when the schools were actually seperated.
Times have changed thankfully. My son graduated in New Trier in 13 and everyone knew each other either through facebook ,twiiter etc.