Dr. Langford earned an A.B. degree from Davidson College, a B.D. from Duke Divinity School and a Ph.D. from Duke University. He joined the Duke faculty in 1956, teaching in both the department of religion and in the Divinity School, where he served as Dean from 1971 to 1981. In 1991 he was named Duke University’s Provost. He was known for his books and articles on British theology and philosophical theology. He was elected to the Endowment’s board on April 7, 1992, and served as Chair of the Rural Church Division. Upon his death on February 13, 2000, Mary D.B.T. Semans, chair of the Board of Trustees, said “Everything he knew about Christian teaching, he practiced. It was an inspiration to know him.”