J K Langsdon Jr

J. K. LANGSDON, JR. John Kinnard "J.K." Langsdon, Jr., 69, CEO of Columbia Machine Works, died Thursday at his residence on Cowan Street. Funeral services will be conducted 3:00 PM Saturday at West Seventh Street Church of Christ with Wendell Robinson and John Vaughan officiating. Burial will be in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Friday from 4:00 until 8:00 PM and Saturday from 1:30 until 3:00 PM at the church. Memorials may be made to Timothy Hill Children's Ranch, 298 Middle Road, Riverhead, NY 11901, Boy Scout Troop 103, P. O. Box 1018, Columbia, TN 38402, or Columbia Academy, 1101 West Seventh Street, Columbia, TN 38402. Notes of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.oakesandnichols.com. The Maury County native was the son of the late John Kinnard Langsdon, Sr., and Ree Coleman Langsdon. He attended Maury County Public Schools and graduated as Valedictorian of the 1951 Class of Columbia Central High School. Mr. Langsdon received a B. E. degree in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1955 and did post-graduate work at the University of Washington at Seattle on a fellowship from the Atomic Energy Commission. He had worked as a chemist for DuPont, research assistant for Monsanto Company; chemical engineer for Union Carbide Nuclear company in Oak Ridge and had been a teacher at Columbia Central High School. He returned to Columbia to join his father in business at Columbia Machine Works. Mr. Langsdon was very active in Boy Scouts of America, having attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1948 at the age of fourteen as a member of Troop 114. He had since served as Scoutmaster of Troops 114 and 103 and had received the Long Rifle Award and Silver Beaver Award. From 1966 to 1981, he served as District commissioner of the Duck River District and more recently was a member of the Executive Board of the Middle Tennessee Council. Mr. Langsdon was a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, National Tool & Machining Association, served on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement, and Maury County United Givers Fund. He joined the Columbia Rotary Club in 1960. He was named Outstanding Rotarian in 1976 and received the Paul Harris Fellow Award in 1979. He served on the Board of Directors for the Rotary Club from 1964 - 1966 and served as President of Rotary Club from 1982 - 1983. From 1989 - 1995, he served as Vocational Service Chairman District 6760 Rotary International; 1995 - 1995 District 6760 Parliamentarian; 1981 - 1995 District 6760 Song Leader Rotary International. He had perfect attendance in the Rotary Club for thirty-eight years and was high salesperson for the Rotary Pancake Day for forty years. He was a member of the Maury County Chamber of Commerce and now the Maury Alliance, serving as secretary/treasurer in 1974/75, was Salesman of the Year in 1982, 1988, 1990 and 1992. In 1994, he received the President's Award "Volunteer of the Year" from Maury County Chamber. He was a member of Graymere Church of Christ where he taught Fifth and Sixth Grade Sunday School classes for twenty years. He had also taught a Wednesday night singing class. Survivors include his wife of forty-seven years, Bonnie Strong Langsdon of Columbia; two daughters, Mrs. Valerie (Randell) Wilson of Brentwood; Mrs. Rosemarie (John) Overstreet of Columbus, GA; three sons, John K. (Melissa) Langsdon and Jimmy Langsdon, both of Columbia; Joe (Teresa) Langsdon of Brentwood; one sister, Mrs. Dorothy (H.D.) Whiteside of Columbia; one brother, Bob (Annette) Langsdon of Nashville; eleven grandchildren, Meleia Wilson, Mark Wilson, Suzanne Wilson, John Langsdon Overstreet, Andrew Langsdon, Rebecca Overstreet, Margaret Langsdon, Will Langsdon, John Langsdon, IV, Abbi Langsdon and Paul Overstreet. Pallbearers will be Tom Dubois, Mike Parrott Mark Reedey, Scout Wauford, John Ingram, Don Mayberry, Steve Burt, and Jim Burt. Honorary pallbearers will be members of Columbia Rotary Noon Club, former and present employees of Columbia Machine Works, Boy Scouts and former Boy Scouts, Wednesday Night Singers, Friday Night Singers, and members of Robinson-Wortman Class of Graymere Church of Christ.