Former BC Law reference librarian Gyorgy Jozsef Lang passed away on May 3, 2024 at the age of ninety-four. A Hungarian lawyer who escaped the country in 1956, his unique journey led him to touch the lives of hundreds of BC Law students and faculty during his many years in the Law Library.
Lang is remembered by friends as the “Mad Hungarian” and was known as a compassionate and knowledgeable reference librarian, as well as an exceptional soccer player.
Byron Hill, a close friend and former colleague of Lang, fondly recounts his time spent with him. “He was a delightful co-worker, he helped thousands of BC students become better lawyers, he was happily married twice, and he raised three children who loved and respected him. We should all be so lucky,” he said.
Lang was born in Nyírmeggyes, Hungary, in 1929, and attended law school during the time of the Soviet Union’s domination of the country. He began his law career as a district attorney in Budapest, while also supporting the reform movement that eventually became the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. Finding themselves targeted due to Lang’s position and beliefs, he and his wife Eva fled the country to Yugoslavia, where he was recruited to the US military in return for American citizenship. He trained in South Carolina, was deployed to Korea, then made his home in the US.
Lang’s first job was with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, but he shortly moved on to establish and coach Boston College’s varsity soccer team. He passed down the passion for the sport to his children and grandchildren, many of whom grew up to be players and coaches themselves.
Law was a louder calling, however, and Lang took the opportunity to use his legal skills as reference librarian at BC Law in the Kenny Cottle Law Library, which operated until the 1996 opening of the current library. He helped to manage the digitization of library systems and worked to expand BC Law’s collection of international and foreign law material, even authoring “Hungary: Building Democracy Through Law” in an issue of Legal Reference Service Quarterly in 1993. Thanks to his coworker and friend Sharon O’Connor, the Lang Workroom in the new library was named for him in gratitude for his lengthy and impactful service.
Lang is buried in the military cemetery in Sarasota, Florida. He is survived by his second wife, Julie, two daughters, and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife and his son, George Lang. A memorial Mass for relatives and friends will be held on August 3 at 10 a.m. at Saint Malachy Church, 99 Bedford St., Burlington. His obituary and tribute wall can be found here.