Artie Lang III - A tribute
By Pat Paciotti
Raising the Delta Pi Mug ..Can't find the olde silver goblet with the Delta Pi upon it...) in Honor of one of my best buddies on this earth.
When I was drafted into the Army..He drove 2 different times to come see me in Indianapolis Indiana...He would visit my mom (drove or hitch hiked from Bloom to Jessup PA) Mom would buy him cigarettes and he wojuld go out with my friends come home smashed wet my bed and then go back to Bloom..He was a master bullshitter but had a heart of gold..True story..after he graduated from college he was involved in sales etc..then he came across an opportunity to work with an elderly man and his company, which was called Insituform East...Artie, being the talker that he was, started working for this man and in no time, the elderly man took him under his wings and groomed him to be the heir apparent of the corporation..once this happened he called me and offered me the first job in corporation..my major was Accounting..as a business manager..I was. just married and had a new born daughter and was hesitant to do it..told him If I didnt know what a bullshitter you are and story teller, I would believe the tall stories you are telling me..he said G man. I never did you wrong..do you remember when I wanted your signature on my brick..and what you told me I had to do?? do u remember that I did it..back and forth in one day? I said Yes I do remember, all I asked you to do was to hitch hike to Washington DC and go to this Bar we all hung out at on my sr Clss trip in HS called the Bavarian ..get me a mug from there and bring it back to me..told him that on a Friday..that Saturday there was a knock on my door and there he was standing thee with that mug..smiling from ear to ear..here u go G man..well the man here hired for that Business Manager post ..he became a Millionaire along with several other men he hired..He has their pictures on the wall in an ESTATE he built (the exit replica of TARA in the movie epic Gone with the Wind..He said there was always one blank picture frame there. The one that was reserved for me.
Monetarily he was not responsible for making me a Millionaire..but he was a multi millionaire in memories of his involvement in my life I was in his wedding he was in mine Harmanos and myself and him became the 3 Muskateers..intertwined in each others lives for eternity.
Being a brother in Delta Pi has paid more dividends than any good stock could have ever paid me..when he was so sick and we thought he only had days to live..I called him and told him Im coming down to see him..he said Please G man don't do it..im on oxygen im not good. I promise you this..2 hours before they say they are going to stop the oxygen Im going to call you..I want you to be the last person I talk to besides my family..It was all surreal..At that point I knew and realized what we meant to each other ..I said to him Artie..I know why you said not to come down and I now realize why thats not a good idea..he said whys that G man..I told him. I cant look you in the face and say Good Bye to you. I just cant do it..head bowed I whispered not loud enough for him to hear. DELTA PI UNTIL WE DIE...Told him I loved him ..and hung up....
So this raising of the DELTA PI mug is in honor of my good buddy and brother in all of life's journey to honor the memory of Arthur Grandisen Lang III Safe travels my good buddy..somewhere someday...we will go to the a bar in the sky get a mug each and without speaking a word just look at each other and smile...RIP Brother Thanks for the memories
Additional thoughts and memories of Artie, by Steve Harmanos
So true brother. I am glad we had a couple chances to reconnect. Jack only does partial justice to the legacy of Art Lang. He was a fighter like no other in his business world and he did things in his field of work no one else ever did. From rebuilding a 6’ in diameter pipe using his process and defeating thousands of pounds of pressure, fighting IRS regulations for years and beating them on all counts. He was truly one of a kind and I too am proud to call him brother!!!
