Langley has recently welcomed back an old, friendly face. He is not a student, but he is in the cafeteria every day. He’s a huge guy, standing over six feet tall. His favorite football team is the New York Jets. He even has his own slogan: “Friends don’t let friends leave trash.” If you go to Langley, you probably know who I’m talking about. His name is Mr. T—and he’s back in business.
After a fall which resulted in a long-term hip injury, Mr. T – whose full name is Julius Townsend – has returned to Langley to continue his job as a security guard.
“I fell out back on the trailer steps and had to have hip surgery,” said Townsend. “I’m still fighting some pain.”
Townsend will soon receive cortisone shots to reduce swelling and heal damaged tissue in his hip. But even through his physical pain, he keeps his spirits up.
“I enjoy working here seeing all the students and their smiling faces,” he said. He usually spends his time making sure that students are safe and that there are no trespassers on campus. In addition, he has a message that he attempts to spread to all students: “Go get that knowledge so you can go to college.”
Looking into the future, Townsend is not exactly sure how detrimental his hip injury will be.
“I’m trying to stay away from getting a total hip replacement,” he said. “Hopefully I won’t be out as long as I was.” As for now, he’s simply happy to be back at Langley and doing his part to “keep a nice, clean community.”