It is with tremendous sadness that we share news of Langston Carter’s death. Langston was an MA student in our History program, who had, as one faculty member has said, “a world of potential ahead of him.”  Those faculty fortunate enough to work with Langston remember his extraordinary empathy, work ethic, wit, and intelligence, as well as his huge role in our graduate student community. Faculty described Langston as a “spark of energy” in class, and as someone not afraid to deal out sarcasm and snark when warranted. He was the kind of student who was a “joy” to have in class.

His graduate school peers, who knew him much better, remember how his qualities impacted their lives—Langston joining others for late-night writing sessions after already putting in a full day’s work, hugs that “felt like a gift,” epic karaoke performances, the "type of friend who was there when you needed him most," and as someone with enough sass to make everyone around him laugh. His students called him the perfect teaching assistant, one pleading for Langston to stay just the way he was.

As one faculty commented, “His passing is a painful loss to our department’s community of scholarship, and our heart goes out to his family, his friends, and his fellow graduate students as we mourn him together.”

• Photos and remembrances of Langston
• Langston's Obituary