J. Neil Armstrong

J. Neil Armstrong served as principal at Langston High School for 17 years, starting in 1937. During Armstrong’s time, Langston became the highest-rated African American school academically between Roanoke, Va., and Knoxville. Langston earned an “A” rating from the Tennessee Department of Education and was approved by the Southern Association of Secondary Schools as an “A”-rated high school. After leaving Langston, Armstrong, who had earned his Masters at the University of Michigan, finished his Doctorate in Chicago. He ended up serving as a faculty member at North Carolina A&T, a historically black university where he earned his Bachelors Degree. Langston’s legacy of Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve, grew greatly under Mr. Armstrong. We are honored to include him in this year’s Hall of Fame class.