For the Middlebury community and all those who loved him, the name Jack Langerman is one held close to their hearts. Jack Langerman ’19.5 was a member of the Middlebury Baseball team and a beloved member of the community. Although Langerman passed away in 2021, his legacy at Middlebury and beyond has lived on.
Following the loss of Langerman, his friends and family sought to honor him and the communities that he was part of, and in 2021, the Jack Langerman Community Foundation was established.
“We figured, okay, how do we leverage that into something positive? And so the purpose of our foundation is to continue [Jack’s] legacy of bringing people together, sort of strengthening communities, and making sure that everyone has a community. Jack was always one of those people that sort of inherently believed that we’re better off when we’re together, that the collective can accomplish so much more than the individual, and that a community not only elevates everyone within it but also can help those it encounters,” Scott Langerman ’87, Jack’s father, shared. Langerman has also co-taught the Sports & Society: How Sports Transcend Their Sidelines J-Term class in recent years.
The Jack Langerman Community Foundation centers around advocating and supporting activities and places Jack loved most. It focuses on hosting events and community gatherings surrounding his passions: baseball, education, mentoring, and youth, based in the places he valued most: Maryland, Connecticut, Ohio, Boston, and, Middlebury.
“We look for places and organizations where even a small gesture can make a really huge difference,” Langerman said.
At Middlebury, this mission has taken the shape of a Friends of Middlebury Baseball weekend, held annually in April. Following a home baseball game, those connected to the team flock to Mister Ups to celebrate the friendships and memories fostered by the baseball program.
“The event aims to bring Middlebury baseball players, families, and alumni together to connect and celebrate being a part of the program. We do this in partnership with Jack's Foundation because Jack was such a positive presence on our team and instrumental in helping us build a strong team culture,” Middlebury Baseball Coach Mike Leonard said.
One of the unique ways the foundation seeks to make a difference is through a series of beers called “Known and Loved,” named in honor of the way Jack made others feel. So far, the foundation has created nine different beers.
“We’ve collaborated with different breweries to create special beers, part of the proceeds from which go to our foundation, but also we get to create this keepsake thing that people get to enjoy together,” Langerman said.
The Known and Loved beers have traditionally been served at the Friends of Middlebury Baseball event at Mister Ups and at other foundation-hosted events. This year, Langerman says that the foundation has expanded their vision.
“We thought, wouldn’t it be fun to have more places in Middlebury have [the beer] and as a result, we could be more inclusive and open it up to more of the college and the community and hopefully spread our message a little bit. So we came up with this idea that we’re calling Known and Loved week,” Langerman said.
Throughout the week of April 25, six restaurants in Middlebury will have the Known and Loved beer on tap. Those looking to support the Jack Langerman Community Foundation can visit Mister Ups, Two Brothers Tavern, Mad Taco, Fire and Ice, Shiretown, and American Flatbread to order a beer or simply support the foundation. Anyone who mentions Known and Loved at these locations will receive a discount on their food, and may be eligible to be entered into a raffle hosted by the foundation.
Following the annual Mister Ups Baseball event, Known and Loved week will kick off at Notte on Saturday, April 25, from 9:00-11:30 PM. Langerman hopes that people will continue to spread kindness within the community throughout the rest of the week.
“The idea is to incentivize people to go visit these businesses with the whole concept being: Let’s figure out how we bring the college, the community, and our foundation together around this concept of Known and Loved, and trying to make other people feel known and loved,” Langerman said.
“As part of all this, we hope that people will use the week to commit random acts of kindness when they can, and just be nice and collaborative and all the things that we want out of people in a community.”
Anyone in the community is invited and encouraged to participate in Known and Loved week to celebrate Jack’s legacy and spread the feelings of love and joy he valued so deeply.
“He was obviously a very special kid to us, but I think he was to everybody else too. He was a master networker and connector, and he was just sort of the kid that everybody liked having as a teammate and a friend and a classmate. He was just one of those people,” Langerman said.
Anna Doucet ‘26 (she/her) is a Staff Writer.
Anna is from Bristol, Vermont. At Middlebury, Anna studies Psychology, French, and Global Health. She is on the board of the Sunday Night Environmental Group, volunteers for Language in Motion, and is a research assistant in the Psychology Department. Off campus, Anna works as an educator at the Expanded Learning Program at Bristol Elementary.
