Elizabeth Langston

Kerrville Elizabeth was a friend and guardian angel for children of all ages.

A proud 6thgeneration Texan, Elizabeth came from a ranching background. She was born in Brady, Texas, on June 22, 1946.

Elizabeths father, Dr. Glen Hall Ricks, M.D., was a muchbeloved general practitioner who delivered many babies in Brady. As a young girl, Elizabeth cherished the occasions when she got to accompany Dr. Ricks on house calls. She also enjoyed sitting with her Dad at the quotyoung mens tablequot in a local restaurant, on the condition that she did not repeat anything that she overheard. This was good preparation for the confidentiality required in her future profession as a psychologist.

Elizabeths mother, Alice Glenn Hall Ricks, was an accomplished home demonstration agent and a leader in her church.

Elizabeth was educated as both a speech therapist and a psychologist, and she had a gift for recognizing what part of the country people came from simply by listening to their voices.

Another of her gifts was a phenomenal ability to remember and pick up past conversations, even years later. As a forensic psychologist, Elizabeth often appeared as an expert witness in courts on behalf of hurt children. She was noted for her ability to testify in great detail without reference to any notes.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, Elizabeths greatest professional love was seeing clients grow toward their potentials through therapy. She had loyal clients from all over the State of Texas and beyond. For Elizabeth, therapy was like being paid to sit down and have good and meaningful conversations with people she really cared about.

Elizabeth loved her first professional job as a psychologist on a dynamic team of specialists helping children with hearing disorders.

Elizabeth was the first school psychologist for the Santa Fe School District, and later worked for the Indian Health Service. She treasured working as the psychologist for the Taos and Picuris Pueblos in Northern New Mexico. She had great appreciation for the Native American peoples, and respected their traditions. She admired their sense of community, and how they shared what they had with one another.

Elizabeth was an advocate and mentor for young women, bringing them awareness of the potential life each one could have.

Elizabeth was a larger than life person who never met a stranger, whether it was a Maori in New Zealand, an Egyptian, a Spaniard, or you or me.

She was a patron of the arts, an actress, artist, artisan, a singer and a musician. Elizabeth loved to attend Opera Week in Santa Fe, NM, each year, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of her home in Nambe in Northern New Mexico, and the opportunity to reconnect with the Native American culture she held so dear.

Elizabeth loved good friends, good food, good conversation, and spending time with her Grandson, Aidan. She will be missed by all who loved her and were blessed by her presence in their lives.

Elizabeth frequently wished that everyone would just be kind to one another, and say quotI Love Youquot to the people they love whenever they had the opportunity, because they never know when they will see them again.

Elizabeth Ricks Langston passed peacefully from this life on November 15, 2011.

Her family encourages donations in lieu of flowers to the Callier Child Development Program at the University of Texas at Dallas, 1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX 75235 or the Kerrville Folk Festival, Box 291466, Kerrville, TX 78029 or the Hill Country Arts Foundation, Box 1169, Ingram, TX 78025 or the Kerrville Public School Foundation for the Larson J. Langston Art Scholarship Fund, 1009 Barnett St., Kerrville, TX 78028.

Persons wanting to know more about Elizabeths professional life should refer to her website at erlangston.com.

The following poem was given to Elizabeth by her friends in the deafeducation world in 1990, and perfectly reflects who Elizabeth was:

quotthis is a poem to our friend
whom we love a thousand
ways
whose soft and encouraging voice
has soothed and comforted us
because you were there in trying times
you took the hurt, the pain,
defeated
to ease our burdened worries
we think that you should know
that you are beautiful and fair
your genuine smile and gentle
touch
but now we see that no one knows that
about oneself, but must be told and
retold until it takes hold,
because we think anything can be unknown
after a while, especially
appreciation
so we write this for life, for love,
for you our friend, ageless, beginning a new
journeyquot


Elizabeths family is planning on having a huge celebration of Elizabeths life event in the bluebonnetrich Spring in the Texas Hill Country, and will let everyone know the where and when at least a month in advance

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