MMC Community, Friends, Family Remember Theresa Lang ’97, HD ’08

(New York, NY) December 12, 2008 was a celebration of the life of Theresa Lang ’97, HD ’08 at Marymount Manhattan College. Friends, family and members of the MMC Community gathered for a heart-warming memorial service in the Theresa Lang Theater. 

Judson R. Shaver, Ph.D., President of Marymount Manhattan College, welcomed more than 100 guests that included speakers: Sr. Rita Arthur, Trustee; Regina Peruggi, President Emeritus of MMC; John Costello, MMC Associate Professor of English; Alister Sanderson, Director of the Theresa Lang Center for Producing; and David A. Andrejko, recipient of the Theresa Lang Scholarship. Theresa’s husband, Eugene, attended the event; and their sons Stephen and David, and daughter, Jane, shared fond memories of their mother during the service. 


Theresa Lang’s family (L to R) Stephen, son; Eugene, 
husband; Jane, daughter; and David, son.
 

Stephen said one of the happiest moments he spent with his mother was reading books by Charles Dickens. He shared a particular memory with guests:

“We would read through 20-30 pages at a time and then we would pause to talk about family and her love of Broadway,” Stephen said. “On one occasion she asked, ‘Do you think you see the people you love when you get to heaven?’ To which I responded, ‘I think so.’”

“When I pass away, I hope I see you,” Stephen told his mother. “However, what do we do after our initial meeting? Then my mother said, ‘we’ll continue reading Dickens.’

“Given the circumstances, I think Charles Dickens would be able to read it to you,” Stephen told his mother.

“And my mother replied, ‘That may be, but I would prefer you to read it with me.”
 

Stephen then sang, “Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” one of Theresa’s favorite songs. 

The service included a performance of Celtic songs by Flutist Barbara Siesel and a musical medley from Finian’s Rainbow and Ragtime by MMC Musical Theater students Rebecca GeggarttEmmy Raver-Lampman,Jesse MarcheseGabriel Rodriguez, and Quinn Wolfendon with accompanist Jesse Kissel


President Judson R. Shaver, Ph.D. and Eugene Lang 

Several prominent facilities and programs at the College bear Mrs. Lang’s name, in appreciation of her advocacy of education, including The Theresa Lang Theatre, the Theresa Lang Center for Producing and the Theresa Lang Scholarship Fund, which supports students who demonstrate academic merit and are involved with community service. After graduating from Marymount Manhattan College as a returning student in 1997, Mrs. Lang remained a member of the MMC community and served on the Board of Trustees for nearly ten years. The College awarded Mrs. Lang an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts at the 2008 Commencement Ceremony on May 16 in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, in appreciation for her years of service to the College community. 


MMC Musical Theater students gather with 
President Judson R. Shaver, Ph.D (center), Eugene Lang 
and Pat Simon, coordinator of musical theater.
 

Outside of Marymount Manhattan, Mrs. Lang has contributed to the Eugene M. Lang Foundation, the New York City Opera and the Hunter College Foundation as a trustee. Mrs. Lang has also been a board member at several hospitals throughout New York City, including the New York Hospital Medical Center, the City Hospitals Visiting Committee for the United Hospital Fund of New York. She was a volunteer Red Cross Nurse Aide at Queens General Hospital and a volunteer at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Published: December 17, 2008