Obl. Br. Henry Van Landingham (1891-1957)

Brother Henry was born in West Point, Miss., of a well-established family.  There is a history of the Van Landingham family in the Benedictine College Library.  The lineage goes back to the earliest settlers in the Carolinas and Mississippi.  He came to the abbey around 1950 and taught French at St. Benedict’s College.

Henry was quite cultured and was, in a way, the image of a polished Southern gentleman.  Often he would dress up in straw hat, slacks, sport coat and cane and walk to the famous Atchison candy and pastry store, Dilgerts, for a part of an afternoon.  He had a soft Mississippi accent and a sly sense of humor.  Once, at table, he asked a cleric if he might use some if his (the cleric’s) peanut butter. The cleric rather roughly replied that it was not HIS peanut butter.  To which Henry replied, “But you seem to be the only one who is using it!”