Obituary of Bobbie L Elston Lang

On August 3, 1928, Russell Elston, Sr and Verneice Grace Jefferson Elston, brought a creative and talented girl into this world. She was the first of five children. Bobbie Lee Elston Lang, aka “Lady Lang”, “Ms. Bobbie” and “Lois Lane”, a retired DISD educator, devoted her time and talents to volunteering in the interest of children and youth, in the public interest and in the interest of religious pursuits for more than seventy years. She served on City Boards, Commissions and Task Forces to improve the quality of life for citizens in the city of her birth; served on the Greater Dallas Community of Churches Board, held offices on the Dallas Metropolitan YWCA Executive Board, chaired the building dedication ceremonies of Maria Morgan Branch YWCA, served on numerous local YWCA Committees including Chair – Committee on Administration, Maria Morgan Branch and the National Nominating Committee – YWCA Retirement Board; Life Member, past President and Chair of the planning committee for the Sixteenth National Convention of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Member of Dallas Summer Musicals, Inc. Board, Cornerstone Member of the Women’s Museum, member of the African American Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, NAACP, and Women’s Council of Dallas County, Inc. She participated in a thirty-one-day European Schools Visitation in seven countries (1983), and the 16th International Seminar on Schooling in Berlin, Germany (1990), received the first Nathan Bishop Award for outstanding volunteerism at the 107th Commencement of her Alma Mater, Bishop College (1988), received one of the Outstanding Texan Awards at the Texas Legislative Black Caucus in Austin (2001). She was recognized by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a Public Service Sorority, for 50 continuous years of membership and public service (2008) and was cited in The Dallas Morning News for volunteerism as well as her preservation efforts (2003). She collected data and prepared the permanent exhibit,“Yvonne A. Ewell: The Life’s Journey”, at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, supported the Harold W. Lang Sr. Library posthumously named at the Lincoln Humanities and Communications Magnet School, a Charter Member of Dodd Education and Support, Inc., and led the Delta Dears Committee in equipping the kitchen in the Frederica Chase Dodd Life Development Center. She garnered support from the Dallas Chapter Associates of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. to research and publish the fifty-year History of the Dallas Chapter (2002). She served as volunteer Program Committee Chair for the inaugural event of the African American Education Archives and History Program jointly sponsored by the drNABSE and the African American Museum (2003), Chair of the African American Educators Hall of Fame (2004 – 2006), and Co-Chair of the traveling exhibit, Roll Call of African American Educators 1874-2006. and Co-Chair of the Oral History Component. In 2007, she completed a twenty-four-foot exhibit commemorating the life, work and contributions of Harold W. Lang, Sr., Ed.D. that hangs in the new DISD middle school named in his honor as a gift from his family. Beginning in 2009, the AAEAHP began a cooperative effort with Stephen F. Austin University to transcribe more than 150 oral interviews of African American educators in Dallas County. She, Dr. Gwen Clark, Dr. Joe Atkins, Dr. Alfred Roberts and Dr. Robbie Pipkin undertook the task of preparing these documents for public use. Under her leadership, a pictorial exhibit of 146 AAEAHP Hall of Fame Inductees hangs in the African American Museum in Historic Fair Park. She was honored with the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and chaired the AAEAHP Fundraising event in 2014. On April 14, 2018 she was recognized by having the AAEAHP name the Scholarship Luncheon named in her honor. She is a fourth-generation member of Good Street Baptist Church and has served in the Music Ministry, the Sisterhood, Deacons’ Wives, and on the Federal Credit Union Board. Elected trustee of GSBC, she served as Co-Chair of the Dedication Ceremonies of the C.A.W. Clark Community Center (1992). Serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Good Street Baptist Church Nursery, Inc.(1997-2005), and planning the Fiftieth Anniversary Observance of the GSBC Nursery, Inc. (2002) and her work with the GSBC Historical Commission. She attended Dallas Public Schools, graduated from Lincoln High School with honors, received undergraduate degree from Bishop College with honors, and Master of Education degree from Texas Southern University. Advanced study was done in Reading and Supervision at North Texas State University. Her thirty-three-year professional career included Wharton ISD, Lancaster ISD and Dallas ISD as elementary teacher, elementary music teacher, reading clinic teacher, resource teacher and intern in the Dallas Teacher Education Center, planner, coordinator and assistant director in State and Federal Programs-Funds Acquisition and Monitoring. She brought leadership, organization and professionalism to all her endeavors. Two sisters, Charles Emma Elston Jones and Johnetta Elston Williams and one brother, Russell Elston, Jr. (Mayde-deceased) share her passion for family gatherings and travel. She was married to the late Dr. Harold W. Lang, Sr. and is the mother of one son, Harold W. Lang, Jr.(Wanda Mack) of Detroit, MI and two stepdaughters, Dr. Gloria Lang Jones (Jim) of San Antonio and Linda Lang Yates (Otis Jones) of Houston, Marguerite Rowe, her last surviving sister-in-law; grandchildren: Jabari Yates of Washington, DC, Kisha Yates and Dr. Matari Jones Gunter; nephews: Bertram Wayne Williams, Sr., Ronald Lynn Elston (Chen Yueh) of Leander, TX, Richard Graves (Debra), Dennis Keith Graves and Byron Lang; nieces Charlene Williams Jones (Sammie) of Flower Mound, TX, Jacy Elston, Robin Elston Wright of Denton, Merridth Elston Thomas, Wanda Graves Grogan, Oneida Graves Bailey (Bobby), Carolyn Maxwell (Eural), Cynthia Adams, Otis “Champ” Adams, Deloris Adams. There are a host of great nieces, nephews, other family members and friends to share and celebrate her passion.