Langdon Van Norden ’37

THE DISTINGUISHED career of lawyer Lang Van Norden, opera and'37 enthusiast, ended with a sudden heart attack Jan. 27, 1993, leaving widow Gloria and son Langdon Jr.

At Choate, Lang was on the hockey and tennis teams, debating panel, newspaper, and student council and graduated cum laude. He was circulation manager of the DAILY PRINCETONIAN, was a member of Colonial, and graduated with honors in history. At Yale Law School, he was editor-inchief of the LAW REVIEW. Rejected by the Navy and Air Force for poor eyesight, he enlisted in the Army as a private and served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, England, and then FranceHollandGermany as an intelligence officer in the Signal Corps. Emerging a captain, he was decorated with the Bronze Star and the Fourragere from Belgium. He returned to law practice with Davis Polk. He became a partner in H.A. Caesar & Co., factoring firm, in 1951. He retired in 1980 but kept his hand in at law as special counsel for Winthrop Stimson, establishing an office in Stamford that grew from one to tenplus staff

Lang was inspired by opera after hearing the Meistersinger in Munich in 1936, translating the libretto for his own edification. This blossomed into his becoming president of the Metropolitan Opera Guild for 14 years and also serving as secretary, V.P., and chairman of the Met itself, serving on both boards for more than 30 years. He was also active for many years, including as chairman of the board, in the National Orchestral Assn.

All our condolences go to Gloria and young Lang.

The Class of 1937