David William Lange, age 90, died March 6, 2026; he battled aspiration pneumonia for 10 years following radiation treatment for throat cancer. David was born on December 5, 1935 in Minneapolis, Minn. He was the middle son of Frederick and Leila Benedict Lange. He studied mathematics.
David was employed by the National Security Agency (NSA) for 39 years, from 1957 to 1995, including two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. In the early 1960s, he created and managed The Analytic System, a small computer that gave immediate results to its analyst-users. He helped develop computer standards for the Department of Defense and was presented with the National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction in 1996 by the Director of Central Intelligence.
Dedicated Greenbelter
David enjoyed living and participating in Greenbelt organizations for more than 50 years ‒ sometimes as an attendee, sometimes as a civic leader. Greenbelt’s Labor Day Festival was especially important to him. He wrote the initial festival bylaws to broaden civic activism. He took on the role of Disaster Chairman when the festival encountered logistical or other problems. He created the Outstanding Citizen Award. David served two terms on the GHI Board of Directors in the 1970s.
When several Maryland savings and loan financial institutions were closed abruptly in 1985, David was asked to chair a public meeting to share information. This quickly evolved into forming a statewide depositors’ organization, as well as numerous public meetings and rallies. When David was selected as Greenbelt’s Outstanding Citizen that year, Harry Hughes, the governor of Maryland, declined to sign the customary proclamation honoring him. David viewed the incident as a badge of courage.
School or Community Center?
In 1985 David chaired Citizens for Education and Community, which divided residents into two camps, one favoring the retention of the existing historic elementary school building otherwise proposed to be operated by the city as a community center; the other favoring building a new elementary school in the footprint of the closed North End School on Ridge Road.
David felt passionately that a community center in the heart of the city had many advantages. There would be easy access to city services such as daycare, artist studios, classes for seniors and teens and musical and dance performances. One resident opposing the $3 million bond for the community center wrote a letter to the editor proclaiming, “I have never heard how bricks taught a child to read nor how mortar has ever improved a child’s spelling. Education is most importantly about teachers, curriculum and students. None of those items will be improved by erecting a new school and much history and tradition will be lost.” (See the June 22, 1989 issue.)
After a referendum on a bond issue that included a “Yes” or “No” vote, residents approved by a slim margin the building of a new Greenbelt Elementary school on Ridge Road and the historic “old” school became a popular community center serving people of all ages and interests. David was also an early leader in the advocacy of racial equity in Greenbelt.
Problem solver
David was a problem solver. One day, a neighbor cut down a cherry tree. David was quickly on the phone trying to find a wood turning group that would take the tree. Another time, he found a trove of old letters from a former colleague who had died. He felt the friend’s widow might like to have the letters because they contained references to her husband’s life in Chicago which his family knew very little about. Sure enough, David found his friend’s daughter living in another state. She was delighted to learn more about her father.
At NSA David was keenly aware of the low-level jobs given to women, especially minority women. An all-white shop of mathematicians, linguists and cryptanalysts was supported by a small group of all-Black keypunchers. David arranged for one of the women to manage the computer runs rather than keypunch and thereby created a new career field for the women.
Education Supporter
After retiring from NSA in 1995, David turned to tutoring math at Greenbelt Elementary School. This evolved into a 14-year volunteer program bringing in 30 to 40 weekly tutors, artists and even office staff to help out at the school. He also started and managed two series of articles for the News Review. One was to ask school principals to select two teachers to highlight during American Education Week and the second series ran during National Women’s History Month.
Schools were important to
David. Deep into his retirement he chaired the city’s Middle School Task Force that examined whether the city should acquire the original former Greenbelt High School after the middle school moved to its new building. Instead, the Board of Education decided to renovate the school and move the Dora Kennedy French Immersion program there.
Family
David and his wife Sandra enjoyed traveling, visiting the pyramids in Egypt, the Great Wall of China and the mysteries of the Incas at Machu Picchu. Africa was a destination to visit her son and his step-son Alex in Tanzania. David greatly enjoyed genealogy and published 15 booklets on family history.
In his first marriage to Roberta Susan McFadden, David had three children: Robert Frederick Lange (now deceased), Jonathan Edward Lange (Katherine) and Alice Chappell. His second marriage to Deanne Pelton ended in divorce. He married Sandra
Ageloff in 1992.
David is also survived by seven grandchildren, Jessica King, Arielle Crooks (James), Rebecca Hogan (Ryan), Christian and Jonathan Lange, Rhiannon Lange and step-grandson Dmitri Barnes; and 9 great-grandchildren, Destiny, Connor, Olivia and Declan Crooks, Crixus and Varro King and Kylie, Lydia and Matilda Hogan.
A memorial service is planned for May 30. More information will be provided closer to the date. Contributions in David’s memory may be made to Help By Phone, P.O. Box 324, Riverdale, MD 20737 and the Greenbelt Community Foundation, P.O. Box 234, Greenbelt, MD 20770.
