Mike Young

Mike Young was the last graduate of Langston High School in 1965 as the school closed for integration in Johnson City Schools. Young may have been Langston’s proudest alumni and was integral in turning the former school into a community center as chairperson of the Langston Education and Arts Development, Inc. (LEAD). Young often reminisced that Langston was a place where you were welcomed and embraced. Langston was a place where the teachers prepared you for the future with equal amounts of discipline and love and the embodiment of the school’s motto Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve was exemplified. Young was quoted as saying that Langston’s history was “a history we can’t afford to lose.” After graduation from Langston, Young enlisted in the United States Air Force and served in Vietnam. After returning from service, he earned a bachelor’s degree from ETSU in History with a minor in speech communication, all while raising a family, of which he was very proud. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Mr. Young and the LEAD group who spearheaded the restoration of the Langston Centre for the Johnson City community.