Mr. John Barham Langston, III

Mr. Langston was born on October 8, 1917 in Garrison and spent much of his youth in Shreveport, Nacogdoches, and Garrison. He received his B.A. degree in Chemistry from Stephen F. Austin University and his advanced degrees from the University of North Carolina.
Dr. Langston worked for several years in industrial research in Ohio before beginning his teaching career. He taught chemistry for 12 years at Clemson University and for 26 years at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. In the 1960s he was awarded two Fulbright Fellowships; the first in Quito, Ecuador and the second in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He was an excellent conversationalist who knew much about many subjects and was a wonderful teacher and storyteller. Family and faith were very important to him.
James met his wife Edith Gates in Nigeria while on a mission trip with the Baptist church. They were married in 1984 and enjoyed 23 years of marriage before her death in 2007. Following her death he moved back to East Texas to be near family, and resided at Buckner Westminster Place in Longview. He passed away on January 18, 2015.