Cuba, Missouri Chip Lange

Chip Lange, Cuba’s “Soldier with the red band on his hat,” graduates from Westminster College.

This blog deals with a young man’s college graduation. While Cuba has a lot of fine young people who are graduating from high school or various colleges, you will not read about their graduations here. But this young man’s graduation is pertinent to the history and back story of Viva Cuba’s Civil War murals.

When Viva Cuba gives mural tours of Cuba, Missouri murals, we like to say that every mural has a story. Some murals have two stories: the main story about the history depicted in the mural and the human interest “back story.”

The Leasburg panel of the Civil War murals holds one of these stories. Go to this earlier blog to read this back story. It is worth the digression, and you will learn the background of Cuba’s “soldier with the red band on his hat.”

UPDATE:

Today it’s time to update the information on Cuba’s soldier since he has reached another milestone in his life.

Carl William “Chip” Lange, IV graduated from Westminister College last weeekend. He has a degree in Biomedical Psychology and earned his Bachelor of Arts–cum laude. His parents are Bill and Catherine Lange of Cuba.

During college, in addition to his academic work and honor societies of which he was a member, he worked as an EMT for the Steelville Ambulance District. He continued his practical experience with the Central Callaway Fire Department as an EMT and firefighter. He also spent a six week’s internship at King’s College Hospital in London where he worked with accident and trauma victims.

Chip plans to be a Physician’s Assistant and has been accepted to attend the Physicians Assistant Program at the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. The school accepted only 35 out of 1000 applicants for Chip’s class. The 2 1/2 year program is pretty much a year-round commitment.

Chip still belongs to the Turner Brigade, a Civil War re-enactment group.

This Wed., Chip visited Cuba’s fourth grade classes to teach the 4th graders about the Civil War. Chip has been teaching Cuba’s fourth graders since his teacher recognized his knowledge and enthusiasm for the Civil War after his own 4th grade presentation about the Civil War. Now, not only does Chip talk to the 4th graders, he also is part of the 4th grade curriculum that Viva Cuba provides the school about each of the murals.

Chip Lange/Fourth graders/Cuba, Missouri

When Chip was in the 4th grade, he  didn’t realize that someday he would be part of their curriculum and that he would still be talking to 4th graders for many years in the future.

Usually, the characters in Viva Cuba’s murals are from the past and static in their stories. But our “soldier with the red band on his hat” is a dynamic character who continues to progress. We will keep you posted.

Congratulations Chip.