Died January 4, 1992
College: Branford
Dave Langbehn (he was always Dave; he never used his given first name, Charles) died relatively young, in 1992. He was one of those friendly, open and easygoing people who seem to get along with just about everybody (I was surprised to learn that he was divorced), and he rarely allowed himself to become upset about the many frustrations that so often bedeviled the rest of us. Dave’s steady temperament afforded him a perspective on life at Yale that lent him a sense of maturity that eluded many other classmates who were still struggling with the sturm und drang of late adolescence. Perhaps as a result, Dave often regarded others with a quiet, nonjudgmental amusement but when pressed for an opinion, he invariably offered insights to illuminate any conversation. Once classmates got to know Dave, they tended to seek out his opinions about a whole range of topics, including personal matters – probably because Dave would never respond with a disparaging remark and would most likely put his audience at ease, no matter what the issue might be. Among all the classmates who might be described as a “really nice guy,” Dave Langbehn fits that image.
—by Richard Lacey