Lead Custodian Tim Lang Retires from Post

From playing guitar in the Soundfest to hauling chairs for springtime teas, Tim Lang will be missed. Lang, lead custodian at PEA, will retire next week from the Academy, after working in the Facilities Management Department for five years.Lang began working at the Academy after serving at the University of New Hampshire for eight years. Upon his arrival, he immediately became a pivotal part of the custodial crew and the Academy community.Lang noted that although he worked at a university before Exeter, all facets of the Academy impressed him when he arrived. “I knew right away that this was a great school,” Lang said. “That impression has not changed. I believe this school is the best out there.”Lang’s first impression allowed him to become part of the Academy community quickly and create friendships with staff, faculty and students.Grill’s counterworker Patricia Taylor, who first met Lang when he started working at Exeter, said that Lang has always been an amiable and empathetic friend to all the staff members.“My first impression of him was very personable and friendly,” Taylor said. “Sometimes when you meet somebody for the first time it’s takes time for you to warm and open up, but he was always very outgoing.”Assistant Director of Student Activities Kelly McGahie echoed Taylor’s sentiments and said that what distinguishes Lang from other members of the Academy community is that he is able to create relationships with anyone, regardless of their title in the school.“The thing that I appreciate about him the most is the way he interacts with everybody. He has no social boundaries. He knows everybody. He knows students, he knows staff, knows faculty. He has no hesitance in approaching people and creating a relationship with them. He crosses social barriers in the Academy, which a lot of people do not do, and I think that’s great,” McGahie said.Other members of the Academy community said that along with his sociability, Lang’s commitment and efficiency will be hard to match. Taylor noted that Lang always strived to help those who are in need of his help, including herself.Fellow custodian Dana Lang said that Lang’s ability to balance his professional approach with his friendly manner has created an efficient environment for all of his colleagues. “He was very pleasant to work with, very knowledgeable of work orders and how to execute them with a pleasant attitude. He was very professional outside of work also. He’s going to be greatly missed,” she said.Taylor said that she appreciated Lang’s altruism the most and commented on the numerous times Lang helped her when she needed it.“He is always willing to go above and beyond,” Taylor said. “If he had the time, he would stop what he was doing and go help you out. For example, when I needed to get something he would find a way to go get it; he always went out of his way to help other people.”McGahie agreed with Taylor and said that Lang’s responsibility has always eased her work.“He doesn’t complain about his job. He doesn’t complain about the working environment. He just gets everything done,” McGahie said. “If I ever need something done, I put in a work order or send a text message to Tim and it gets taken care of immediately. When Tim says to me ‘I got it,’ I don’t worry about it anymore. He’s not the kind of a person who says, ‘Yeah I’ll get to that,’ and then forgets about it.”“He’ll absolutely be hard to replace,” McGahie added.Lang said that among everything he will miss, he will miss the friendships and relationships he has built in the Academy the most. He said that in Exeter, he met some of his closest friends and created some of his best memories. “I have made more friends working here than I have ever made working anywhere else. I have always kept work friendships, but [the people I’ve met here] have come to my house, we go out to dinner, and my wife has become good friends with them as well. I feel very blessed to have met all these wonderful people and I will miss them the most.”Although he will miss his life in Exeter, Lang said that for various reasons, he decided to leave Exeter and move on.“As I saw kids graduate and move on to their next destination in life I realized that I also needed to do what I've wanted to do for all my life,” he said. “My wife and I are moving to Key West, Florida. I have visited there and have always wanted to live there. I’ve always wanted the island life, tropics, warmth and most of all no snow. Time to leave the cold and snow behind, to live on Key West time.”