Interview with Eugene Langbehn

Eugene Langbehn graduated from the Maryland State Teachers College at Towson in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Mr.

Langbehn taught one year in Baltimore City and an additional 27 years in the Baltimore County public school system. These are his reflections. Mr.

Langbehn, thank you so much for your willingness to sit down with us and talk to us about your preparation in teacher education at Towson University and your subsequent career. And I think probably the best place to begin is in the

beginning. If you would share with us a little bit about your early social context, where you grew up, what you were thinking about as you moved towards and through high school, that'd be a good

place to start. Well, it goes back to the borough up in New York City in the Bronx. And I spent most of my younger years in an orphanage and I think, well, I know I was there 'til I was 16 years old

and it was during the depression years. And the orphanage actually, when you think of it, provides a lot of social contacts since you had other people who you... Complete orphans, half orphans or whatever you...

And so I grew up with a lot of my peers and friends. And we had our own little preschool there right at the institution. And we went there up until our third grade.

And we had teachers who came in and taught us right there. And eventually we went to the local grammar school, which was up the hill, PS 73, and had an opportunity to get in touch with the outside

world. Yes. Absolutely. So what I really found by being raised in a situation such as mine, you had a sense that there are others like you

and whatever emotional experiences were similar and that there were the good times and there were the bad times. And so eventually I did leave the institution at 16. They moved me out and let me go.

Well, sent me to the YMCA and that's where I lived for a couple years and I continued my schooling at a technical school in the Bronx, Samuel Gompers High School. But something happened that kind of stopped my development on

an education level, because part of that experience being separated from the institution, I had to work and go to school at the same time. And in my case, I just found that I couldn't handle both.

And then I went to work. I was employed by Western Electric and eventually I stopped going to school. I was a school dropout.

So how high did you get before you went to work full time? Was that maybe 10th grade or... It would be the 10th grade, yeah. And I had a chance to see if I could make it with a combination

of working and going to school, and it just didn't work out. So, had to make a difficult decision, and in a way that was a preparation for me, being in the field where you had work

experiences behind you and being able to appreciate what it's like to be in the business world, so that eventually, when I moved into education, kind of gives you perspectives of both sides.

Oh, I'm certain. So I had other jobs too. In fact, I had jobs where I actually started off as an errand boy, then moved on up the

line. And then I became a busboy working in a hotel. Uh huh. And on that job, I was fired.

You were? Oh, I wasn't very good at that. Gene, why? Why'd they fire you?

Because I broke too many dishes. (laughter) But the neat thing about that was they farmed me out. I went from the major leagues, they sent me to the minor leagues, and they sent me to a

boarding house. I see. And the boarding... This is up in the Catskill Mountains, and the boarding house there, I could only do pots and pans, so I was safe.

Hard to break a pot or pan. That's right. So the work experiences, then I moved on into installation with Western

Electric and spent 10 years with them. And eventually my wife, Frances, she was a graduate of Hunter College in New York, and she came down to Maryland. We both did, and we settled somewhere over on the

western side of Baltimore County and she got interested in teaching. She did? And she went to Towson and wanted to see if they had a fifth year program.

They didn't. No. Not then. But what they said, we can have a way in which you can get your certificate in education if you spend a year at Goucher.

And Goucher had a fifth year program. And so at a cooperative... Towson cooperated or Goucher cooperated with Towson and she ended up becoming certificated and wonderful years of teaching.

And I'm stumbling around doing these other things and I said to myself, I'd reached a point, did a lot of traveling for Western Electric, they transfer you here, transfer... And children... Tony came along, you know, now you're absent and the only

way... Commute maybe on weekends or you can't commute on weekends. I said, this is not good. This is not good family wise. And so knowing that she was so successful in her teaching

career, that motivated me to try, see if I could try something different. And I just, one day I walked in to the foreman and I said, I'm leaving, I'm quitting.

Oh, that was very brave. Well, it was, knowing that, hey, what am I going to do? But I was determined.

I'm going to go over to Towson and check with administration. And this is a story which I guess not too many people probably had. It was Dean Murphy.

She was the Dean then and I made an appointment with her and she welcomed me, and she asked me, what is your background, Gene? I said, I have very little background as far as education,

and she sat back, hmm. How are we going to handle this? (laughter) But she was interested. She said, here I am a man in the... Primarily the school was mostly

women, and was interested in going into education. She says, I think I have a way in which we can take care of this. She said, this is the accommodation.

She says you're going to be on probation. How does that hit you? And it's wonderful, wonderful. (laughter) And that's how we got into education.

It's just, it's like, you know, things happen in life... We were talking earlier about doors opening, and sometimes the wrong door opens, but this just happened to be the right one, walked into it and it was just wonderful that they

accepted me. I struggled because I didn't have really much background period as far as education, but we pulled through. Now, so, you came in, and you came in as a freshman in a four year

or a bachelor's degree program and you were getting a degree in education with an emphasis at the elementary level? Right. So you had to take a whole bunch of those general university

requirements. That's right. And that must have been, for someone who decided along about age 16 that you'd try both and then gave up education,

that was probably not an easy entry. Well, some of the courses like chemistry, which I didn't have single bit of background, they were tough, and also taking advanced mathematics.

Again. What do I know about this stuff? So some days I was a wreck just trying to get things into place but we made it through.

Yeah. And you have a wife at home, and did you say a son? That's right. So that was... And she's busy doing her schoolwork and and I'm

doing, well, I had a little part time job on the side. I was a musician. Really? I played in a little combo that did some nightclub work.

Class B nightclubs in the Baltimore area, and, this is hard to believe, I played the bass fiddle. You did? I don't play it anymore, but... Boom, boom, boom, boom,

boom, boom, boom, boom. And I was their singer, I was their lead singer. So I think that's how I got the job. But bringing in a little money, I guess that was important.

Oh, it was important. It was important. You get to the point in your education at Towson where you're beginning to go into classrooms, maybe first just to observe,

because you're not quite yet into your student teaching piece, when you're beginning to get into those education courses. How are you beginning? How are you feeling about this choice?

Well, I actually welcomed the experience over at Lida Lee Tall and then out at the local junior high school. I believe then the practical experiences, like, was six months for one year and then six months a different kind of experience

the next year. And I didn't have any problem with that. In fact, I had a fourth grade... Wonderful supervising teacher that was very gracious and

very helpful. And then on the junior high level, that was a lot more observing because older children, what have you. And that's when I really made the decision to handle

the intermediate youngsters and and that was eventually what I became certificated in. The wonderful thing about Towson is that, and today, I don't think most people realize that our education was free.

Yeah. The only thing you had to pay for were your activities and your textbooks. You just, it just blows my mind when I listen to some of these

children, my granddaughter, she's got a textbook about this big must weigh about five pounds, has to pay about 100 and a quarter for it. Oh, at least. It's absolutely... And tuition now. Oh, gosh, yes.

So we were very fortunate. I think the only thing we had to guarantee the state, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, I think we had to guarantee that we would teach at least two years.

I think that was standard. So that, I had no problem with that. In fact, I was very, very pleased to know that they would accept me.

Is there anything in particular you remember about that student teaching experience? You said one thing was that you decided you liked working with the younger students.

Anything else? I think I was more comfortable with the younger students. It's psychological.

I probably can't explain it, but it was just, interaction was better. And what I did notice too was that with as few men that were in the elementary grades, the youngsters, they kind of looked

at you as a father figure. Not that I wanted to be their father, but I think that helped in working with youngsters 9, 10, 11 and 12- year olds.

So, like, in gymnastics and things like that, which, I had some pretty good ability in those sports areas. The kids kind of looked up to you and it made it that much more comfortable to work with the youngsters because we had a,

oh, I put them through a series of exercises every day, like 10:00 in the morning. It's time to take a little break, and we'd get up and do these exercise and I'd have them reach up to the sky, you know, and they just

love it, you know, and then play music in the background along with it. Just little innovative things that I have happened to have.

I think the biggest innovation, and this probably defies all curriculum instructions, but I got in touch with the Sun papers and the news post. We had the news post then and I had a group of kids, about 45 of

them, and it was 4th graders, but they were outstanding students. I said I think they really need something that will really challenge them. So I got permission from the principal to have the Sun papers

delivered every day and the news post delivered every day. And basically that was our textbook. Don't tell anybody about that.

But we used the comics, we used the sports pages, we used the Stock Exchange headlines. It wasn't a thing. You really couldn't integrate into your language arts program

mathematics, social studies, what... So the Sun papers really got, they really loved that 'cause naturally, and they came and did a really fine commentary on that.

And so that's one of the innovative things that I did. I shared that with somebody at one of our sessions at Towson and she was so impressed. She said, Gene, I wish I had you on the curriculum committee.

Truly. Absolutely. We would take the comics, for example, like The Phantom, and that was a weekly comic. And it would have a sequence, what was going on.

And we'd get to this point and I'd block out all the balloons and I'd ask, well, now put your message in there. And they would put a message in there. And then I said, well, now what do you think is going to happen

next week? Because they... So it was fun. You know, when you can have fun doing what you're doing, it makes your your workspace that much more pleasant.

Absolutely. So that's something that you did once you got comfortable as a teacher and you were out there in the world. That's right.

So you graduated, excuse me, and you had your two year requirement. Where did you land first? What was your first teaching job once you graduated? At Scotts

Branch Elementary School in the Liberty Road Corridor. Actually, it was the year the school was opening. Oh, how nice.

New school. So new school, new principal, new faculty and everybody. And I'll remember the first time we had a faculty meeting and the principal's name was Vance Criswell.

And when we all got together, coffee and whatever else on the side, he says, I'd like to share something with you, after we all introduced ourselves. And he says, you know, all of you are embarking on a whole new

way of traveling in this world, educational journey. He says, I want you to know that you're going to have children in your class for almost an entire year. The same children, not too many other people in this world will

have almost a year's time with another child or children. And he says that experience alone is worth a fortune. Not many people will have that opportunity to be with a child for a full year.

And that impressed me so much. You know, it's like the wisdom that comes from somebody who's had experiences in teaching, and that stayed with me, because then I, every now and then I need to be

reminded. Gene, you're getting a little off track here, back on track. And I think that fundamental charge that Vance gave us really impressed me and I was able to live it out and I

was very rewarded because of that. And that was 4th grade? That was the 4th grade. That's right.

And did you stay in 4th grade for a long time? I did, my kind of... Nine year olds and I got along famously, and eventually I moved out to Deer Park Elementary, which was a little further out Liberty Road and had fourth graders too.

But I think the last couple years I went back to Deer Park Elementary and they started the elementary grades started specializing. Like, you're the math teacher, you're the social studies

teacher. In other words, you didn't have a full agenda of all the way from language all the way to math and what have you. That was a little difficult for me to make an

adjustment. And where were you? What did you get assigned? I was assigned social studies.

Social studies. But the discipline, there's a lot of... For example, now you're on a time schedule. You have from 9:00 to 9:45, you're meeting with this group of youngsters on the 4th grade and you have to be ready to cut

it off. So if someone down the hall is not cutting it off at 9:45. You're checking, you're getting a little antsy. And so that was the difficult adjustment for me,

and that saved... I think that also told me how much better off I was at the elementary level than being at the junior high and the senior level.

Because eventually we convinced the principal that this is not working too well and we went back to our our routine, which was much better for all of us. So then you had students for the whole day, across curriculum.

After you had taught for a while, I would think that somebody would be kind of pushing you, especially a man at the elementary level, into considering some administrative responsibility.

How did you fend off those advances? Well, each year the principal and supervisor spend some time together and call you in for evaluation, what have you. And this once time Vance and our area supervisor are sitting

there and keep they kind of popped, she kind of popped the question, wouldn't you be interested in going into administration, Gene? And I hadn't even thought about that.

That wasn't even on my mind. And I kind of flinched a little bit. I said, oh, that's quite a compliment, deep down inside.

And I said, I don't think so. I don't think so. So the opportunity was there and I said, no, I'm just going to stay where I am.

And since I like what I'm doing and that's OK. So you never went that route except for your last year. Last year I said, well, I was out in Carroll County and I got a call from their Superintendent.

He said, we have an opening up here in Westminster. He said, can you handle that for a full year? And I said, what's it involve? He said, it's working with children who have deportment

problems, behavior problems. I said, I don't know. I said, what qualifies me to do that? That was an excellent question.

He says, well, he says your age, one. And he said I have a little background growing up in an institution. So you've worked with youngsters who've had problems,

serious problems, and we'd like you to come aboard. And I acquiesced. And there I was for a full year in Westminster High. And that was the end of the road as far as public

education for me. Did you move as a teacher from Baltimore County to Carroll County? I did all my years in Baltimore County except for my first year,

I was in Baltimore City. Oh, OK. It was... Yeah.

School number 83, Liberty Road. Windsor Hills. I see. I didn't realize that was in the city.

I don't know why I left that out, but that... And then I... Well, then Fran, she was teaching out in Baltimore County and I said, well, I think I can, since I lived out there, why don't I go to Baltimore County rather than travel all the way in?

And so that's what I did, transferred out. And she was at the... Your wife was at the elementary level as well? She was. Actually, you'll like this story.

She taught with Terry Bosco. Really? Yes. In fact, Terry Bosco was her vice principal and Fran was a

fourth grade teacher at Campfield Elementary School. And they got along splendidly. They're good for each other. And Fran finally said, since we moved to Carroll County, I'm

going to go out to Carroll County and teach out there. And she became a reading teacher and a librarian. Media... First it was librarian, then media specialist. And she did famously, she did, really, because she was

an inspiration all the way along as far as teaching career for myself. Well, certainly was probably handy to have when you were going through your programs.

Since she had gone through that too. So you had somebody who could be helpful to you as you were struggling with some of those things at Towson. Gene, what did you... You eventually retired,

excuse me, after how many years? 28 years. I thought, good service, and the only, I think the thing that may have been also it's time to leave... It's not that I was tired or restless.

The new technology. I see. I think the new technology was getting beyond me and, you know, having all the different computers and stuff like that. I probably wasn't as sharp as some of the kids in the

classroom. I think many teachers felt that way. And so I think that helped make the decision. But then the real thing that I think motivated me was to go

into service, serve the community. And I did that in many different ways as far as the church and hospitals, chaplaincy. Could you tell us a little bit about that?

Well, we were living in Sykesville in Eldersburg in Carroll County. And the church that I went to, the pastor there said, Gene, he says, I noticed that you are involved in a lot of different

committees and stuff like that. He said, Would you be interested in taking a permanent diaconate course, which, it goes, it runs for four years and what have you,

and eventually you become ordained and what have you. And I says, well, if you think I I can handle that, Father Snyder, I'll try it. And I entered into the program and started working over at

Springfield Hospital, and then over at, they had a prison over there too, in Sykesville. I worked in there. So here I'm getting all these experiences.

And then eventually I was offered a position down in the Walter P. Carter Center as chaplain. And that's an addiction center. And where was that?

That's right on next to the Veterans Administration Hospital downtown. And so 15 years and also working for the church too. So the calling was there and it's just an extension of

being of service to people. Well, I was going to say, do you think that your preparation to become a teacher was handy when you changed, sort of shifted your emphasis?

Exactly. It's a, you know, there's that line that goes out and says, well, is this the end of the road? No, it's not.

And you just, it just moves slightly to the left or the right and you just pick it up and carry it on. And I was fortunate enough to be encouraged and embraced because I had some wonderful experiences.

I was a special assistant to our Bishop Murphy, Frank Murphy, who was Western Bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. And he was... You run into a person sometimes in your life

who is this example of what maybe you'd like to be like or just was so, so encouraging, so likable. And I think he put me on the right track. Really did. It certainly seems like it was a rewarding experience for you.

Could you tell me a little bit about what you did, for example, at the Carter Center? What did that entail? Was that instructional? Was that... Well, I was a member of the staff.

And going into the Carter Center, I'd have to check in and there were several floors, units, so to speak. And my objective was to get around all the different units, go in, visit with the nursing staff and the caretakers, get a

handle on any of the the new clients that may have come into the facility and try to meet with each one of them and find out if there's any way in which I can be of some support, assistance.

The difficult thing I think about a position like that is you get some really very... Stories that, you know, that you almost wonder, how did this person survive, you know, make it this far.

And our job was to try to ease them through that, help them, report, particularly report back to the staff if there were any suicidal possibilities. And that was the number one situation, they'd want to know

that, right, because then their observation, they really would have to do something different to to see if they can assist that client.

So in doing that, going around and not only being with them on a one to one relationship, meeting with groups, whether it was an Al Anon group or something or, excuse me, whatever drug problem they had.

So there were group meetings, there were individual meetings, and then reporting back to the staff and actually having maybe a little service for them. Prayer service and what have you.

So, very diverse, but yet I think very helpful for the clients there at the Carter Center. And Carter Center, you think, how long do you think you did that? 15 years.

Yeah, 15 years. I was their chaplain. And when I came here, I still was. But then Fran got sick and I said, well, I'm going to have

to... Sure. Lay back and let that go. So you moved here to Charlestown while you were still working

there? That's right. But it was a good move. It was time to do that.

Well, at some point a house gets to be too much and all the craziness that goes with that, and it's very nice for somebody else to do the cooking. That's right.

That's what my Charlotte said. She's got a economics degree and she says I've never cooked Gene a meal yet. (laughter) Is that OK with Gene?

And I have no problem with that. Ok. 'Cause the two of us are in accords. And you can have a sandwich for lunch or whatever. That's right.

And we do so many other things together. So it's, that's what Charlestown's all about. Well, and maybe opportunities here to share and to teach and to minister.

Well, I don't do that, but what I do is we do sing alongs. We use our musical talents, in other words, what's the special talent that you have that you can, yes, give back to the community?

And that's what we do. Whether we go over into Renaissance Gardens and work with a small group and sing alongs and what have you and concerts and what have you, raise money for the community.

So we're involved. Yes, and that's teaching of a sort too, isn't it? That's right. So it's very hard to escape that.

That's right. I'm hooked. (laughter) What else would you like to share with us? Is there anything that we've missed that you think is

particularly important in your evolution as a teacher across time? When I think of how things started in my life, there's, I guess this is kind of profound, when you grow up in a

situation where everything is controlled, very little freedom, you're operating out of a sense of fear because if you don't stay in line, things come crashing down on you. So, highly disciplined.

But through the years as I've gotten older, I never knew my mother or father, never knew any brothers or sisters. Now you say, well, now why does that make me a special kid? But it's what I've done, maturing.

When I look back and say, well, it would have been nice to know my mother and father, but I never had a chance. But I can say this, and I can say this with a real strong belief that my mother and father gave me the greatest gift of

all. And that was the gift of life. And so all those, you know, times where you were down in the dumps in reference to, how can I get in touch?

You reach a stage in life and say, well, that's the way things are. And hey, you handled it the best way you can. And I hope I have. What words of wisdom would you share with young people?

Well, people of any age who are considering going into the teaching profession? Oh, I would say to them that there's so many rewards and to be part of a generation that's able to have influence,

stimulate them, invigorate them and prepare themselves for the challenges that once they are at an age where they eventually go out that somehow just, I don't know, I don't want to take this as a special compliment, but to have seen you,

seeing you doing what you do and knowing that you've loved what you've done, and it's apparent that that kind of rubs off and says, you know, I think just by seeing that person, I might like to go into teaching and if somewhere I could touch

base with that person, give them a little shove like we do here at Charlestown. We help the young waiters and waitresses, we have a scholars' fund for them and the scholars' fund we all

contribute to hoping that, you know, whatever little monies from our scholarships will have them go on and become a better person for it. So it's, I guess it's that personalization that you kind of

share with somebody and that kind of motivates them and helps them become something special. Gene, thank you so much for taking the time to spend with us.

It's been a special privilege. And I can't say enough about having had the opportunity to become a teacher and use those skills and, and make some other people happy.

Mm hmm. And continue to use those skills. That's right. Absolutely.

Thank you. Thank you so much.