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Mike Langston came to Hawaii Ace League back in July of 1996. His reputation for being a hard and fast racer was right on at that time. He was not afraid to take a risk or to step up to a challenge. He was also not afraid to tell you exactly what he felt you did wrong if you were to tangle with him. He never took racing incidents personally, and he never held a grudge. He was as clean a driver as any one of us. He only missed a race if he was out of town. For over a year, starting in late 1997, Mike battled cancer of the liver. It was a quick deterioration that would ultimately end his life. So quick was the cancer that he could not get a liver transplant as the cancer had spread to other areas of his body. The league still raced on, with Mike joining in when he could, but Mike had come to terms early on that things did not look too well for him. His joy from that point forward was his online racing communities. He took pride in being able to race, whether he finished well or not, and he always enjoyed the racing because it took him away from his real-life challenge. Mike stopped racing on Friday, September 11, 1998 at 7:15pm.  Many of us will never forget Mike, especially those who got to meet him personally. He had a zest for life and made everyday an exciting day. He never wasted his time on frivilous arguments about connections, or internet services, or server qualities. For Mike, the importance was companionship. He completely understood that on the other end of that modem connection was a human being with feelings, emotions, wants, desires, and needs just like him. He valued the friendship of his fellow league members far above any on track racing results. He thrived on getting to know others, often driving for hundreds of miles just to get to spend an hour with someone. I think that Brian Tate summed up a lot of our feelings in this newsgroup post. Brian, thanks for writing what a lot of us feel! Here's a poem that Sean Flynn wrote after hearing of Mike's passing: At intervals it's maddening Hawaii Ace League put together a wreath for Mike's memorial service. We wanted to make sure that he knew we cared, that we'll miss him, and that he'll always be in our thoughts. The wreath that was ordered was a 4' circle wreath using many bright multi-colored real flowers with a small #28 flower piece attached, if possible. The HAL banner shown below was used to drape across the banner. My wife, Julia, made the banner for the wreath and shipped it to the flower shop in Michigan.  I'm sure that everyone in HAL would've loved to be able to make it to the memorial service to show his or her respects to Mike and his family. Thanks to John Waters, we can read about the memorial service! Thanks John! We all appreciate your candid feedback! Here's Mike's HAL career!! Mike raced week in and week out, rain or shine, points or no points! He raced because he liked the excitement, the friendship, and the camaraderie!
From the end of June to about the middle of August of this year, 1998, I had some really good and honest emails with Mike. In one of those emails he said,"Thanks for some great times in a great league." As hard as it struck me, I knew he sincerely meant every word of it. Every member of Hawaii Ace League was Mike's friend, and he adored the time he spent with each us while racing online. In a fitting tribute to a great friend, a great racer, and a great person, Papyrus put Mike's #28 racing car in the Nascar 99 carset. At the end of the credits it reads "Dedicated to the 'Langonater' Mike Langston 1945-1998". Mike would've loved it!! A great big thanks goes out to Papyrus, and especially Steve Vandergriff who promoted the idea hotly!! Here's a look at the sheet that's in the carset.  Here's the full text of the bio (before editing): After a successful career as a go-kart competitor in Michigan, Mike hung up his spurs and embarked on a career in the health care industry. Mike figured his racing days were over, but the lure of the race track was always there. After laying off for many years, Mike finally gave in and decided he had to climb back into a car and compete. He purchased his own ride and after toiling on car setups and smooth lines, he joined the Hawaii Ace League. A HAL favorite, Mike's underfunded efforts earned him great respect among his peers. "I'm in heaven, I've met so many wonderful friends on the track," Mike said.  I spoke with Mike's mother, Theresa Melanson, about Mike. She's very nice and we talked for a bit. She told me that the HAL wreath was beautiful and that Mike would've loved it. She's got the banner hung up in the area that Mike spent most of his time (near his racing machine). She said that Mike loved to race with the league. As we parted from the phone conversation she remarked "When you guys are racing and see that checkered flag, remember that Mike is waving it for you." I was a bit choked up when I got off the phone. The main reason I had contacted her was to let her know about the donation the league was sending her. The league raised over $600 dollars for Theresa. Mike, you'll always be our league spotter!!! God Bless You! Bill Pogue |
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