Troup Tiger, "Red" Langston, Class of '55
by Deborah Burkett
The 1950s were a time for good natured hijinks and "Red" along with his high school pals certainly had their share of fun. Theft was prevalent if you counted all the watermelons stolen from patches in Mixon and there was the time an outdoor toilet was removed from a home on the edge of Troup to be placed on school grounds later that night.
Another prank occurred when someone turned all the lights off at Troup High School. Boys will be boys and these boys had the likes of R.J. Roddy and Eugene McElroy hot on their trail. Ordered to the principal's office, "Red" was adamant he didn't do it---didn't mess with the lights. R. J. conceded that was true but knew that Ray would know who did. However Ray wouldn't tell and R. J. remained in the dark, so to speak, as to who the culprit was. Years later in 2007, just before R.J. passed away Ray asked the following, "We weren't that bad, were we?" R. J. answered with a sly smile, "No, not really. You were good boys--just full of mischief, although occasionally all of you did need a good paddling..."
High school yearbooks contain a wealth of information and as we get older it's labeled as historical content. Attached to this story below are two photos from the 1955 yearbook which depict Ray as a skinny freckled face teenager. If yearbooks were printed in color back then his hair would be red; although he did have green hair once when he, along with other students, decided to dye their hair black. Listed next to Ray's senior picture in his cap and gown are his activities and awards during high school. Also in the yearbook, he's photographed with Lillie Hamilton. In 1955 they were voted Most Popular. Lillie was also named Best Figure; Ray was not named Best Physique that accolade went to Charles Cooper. David Wilson and Joe Ann Ashby were voted Best Dancers!
When I contacted Lillie Hamilton (Mahaffey) and told her I was Ray's niece and that he had passed away, she didn't skip a beat. She said, "Happy to talk to you, any relative of Ray's is a friend of mine. Those times were wonderful. Ray was a comedian, always carrying on about something but to tell you the truth we were all fun loving and a little nutty. Let me think about more memories and I'll get back to you." When she did, Lillie talked of their senior trip to New Braunfels. Mrs. Bright was sponsor and Mr. McElroy drove the bus. On the way home they stopped by Austin and had their photo made on steps of the capitol.
While working on the History of Troup book in 2008, I asked Ray for his memories. I wanted to include them along with many others in the last chapter. He recalled, "Sports seemed to be in the Langston blood…my Dad was an educator, principal, superintendent and coach in several locations in Texas. When we moved back to Mixon in 1950-51, the birthplace of both my father and mother, I was in the eighth grade and there were only three students in my class. The school at Mixon had a basketball team and we played other schools throughout the area. Members of the team were Otha Blanton, Harold Partin, Gordon Strickland, Bobby Frank Massey, Gordon Hardy and me. Dad was the coach and we beat Troup's team that year! And we beat them pretty handily. John Walter Tucker played on that Troup team…" Ray said with a big grin.
Not to be outdone John Walter Tucker, a 1955 Troup graduate and one of Ray's best friends remembers how competitive they both could be in sports whether in high school or later in life. For this column Tucker shared stories about the two of them trying to best each other on the golf course. Once Tucker beat Ray badly in Lake Jackson on his home turf. Tucker added, "But when it counted, like a tournament at Troup Country Club, Ray would beat me…"
When I phoned Mike Basquette he shared the following, "I was a teammate of "Red's"; he and I grew up together. We went to college together and the last time I saw him was at the Troup Country Club…Once "Red" helped a friend's son in Brazosport and that was greatly appreciated. Everybody talked about "Red" and when they did, it was all good. I thought the world of his dad, Mr. Willie, too! You can take my word on all I've said. And one more thing, looking back at the 1950s I realize what Troup meant to all of us…we had great teachers and a wholesome upbringing…"
All this talk about sports and competition brings us full circle to girlfriends, individuals the guys always wanted to impress. Wanda Thompson, a Carlisle Indian, dated a Troup Tiger named Mike Johnson. She shared, "Ray was a great basketball player.in the 1950s; the best players won little gold basketballs. Ray would get a lot of them and I wanted those basketballs!" Mike Johnson and Ray were also co-captains of the Tiger Football team in '55. John Walter Tucker had a girlfriend too--another Wanda (Blackwell) who was also a Carlisle Indian. Both Wanda's married their Tigers. In college Ray would meet his future bride, a Sam Houston Bearkat named Sarah Bono.
The hijinks have subsided now, many of the class of '55 creak when they walk and "Red" is gone. The memories of the 50s are dimmer now; we've also lost Mike Johnson, R. J. Roddy and Eugene McElroy. In full disclosure this column is biased, Ray Langston was my uncle and I loved him dearly. With that said, this is my take. Ray lived life to the fullest even near the end when his body was wrecked by cancer and chemo. One of the last visits I had with him in Lake Jackson we rode to the Dairy Bar with his beloved caregiver, Priscilla Solis. He wanted an ice cream and didn't want to use the drive through-he wanted to get out of the car, go inside and be with people. He loved people whether they were family or friends in Mixon, Troup or Lake Jackson.
Ray Dixon Langston was born in Bullard, Texas, in 1936 during the Great Depression to Viola Armstrong and Willie Dixon Langston. After graduating from Sam Houston State he taught school and coached. Linda Griffin remembers, "Ray and I taught together-what fun!!! He was also a coach, then a counselor at Freeport Immediate School and then at Brazosport High School; he touched many lives, both students and teachers alike…"
Attached to this story are images from the past: early 1940s photo of Ray with sisters Patty Myrl (L) and Emoline (R) and parents Willie and Viola Armstrong Langston. There's also a 1970s photo of Ray, wife Sarah and boys Jo Jo (L), Billy (R).
Some of Ray's fondest memories were attending sporting events, whether it was a Troup homecoming game, his grandson Brady's football games where his granddaughters would perform at halftime or sitting in the stands rooting for a professional team. Another photo included below is a favorite of mine. It's one I took at a Houston Rocket's basketball game. He was beginning to slow down at this point. The gesture of pumping his fist in the air was meant to signify "Go Rockets" but it was also emblematic of his determination to enjoy life, to beat whatever it was slowing him down and to keep going!
Ray Dixon "Red" Langston passed away August 18, 2015, and is buried next to his son, Jo Jo Langston, who preceded him in death in 2003. Our prayers are with Sarah, his wife of 54 years; his son Billy, daughter-in-law-Jeanne, three grandchildren: Brady and Katherine are students at A & M University; Abigail attends Stephen F. Austin High School in Sugarland. Our thoughts are also with additional family members who grieve: Ray's other nieces Terri Prater, Pamela Whittemore and Donna Clifton, along with nephew John Mark Pike and cousins Nelda Jett and Billy James Langston.
"To Live in Hearts We Leave Behind is not To Die"
