After the Bell with CCHS Staffulty Member Elaine Gabalac

Have you ever wondered what teachers and staff do when they are not at school?  We decided to find out!  

This is one in a series of stories about some of Central Catholic’s faculty and staff members and what they like to do after the bell rings at the end of the day.  Some have surprising hobbies, others have creative talents.  With this series, we hope to shine a spotlight on the special people who work with our students every day!

Painting a Legacy

Elaine Gabalac is Central Catholic’s part-time EdChoice coordinator.  She collaborates with students and families to navigate the EdChoice scholarship application process, ensuring that eligible students receive the tuition funding that they are entitled to.  This is her second year working at CCHS.  

Outside of work at Central Catholic, Elaine has a part-time art business, selling her father’s paintings.  Her father, David Charles Langley, was a self-taught artist who painted mostly beach landscapes and boats on open water.  His paintings were a reflection of the area where Elaine and her siblings grew up on the southern shore of Lake Michigan.

“I have no memories of my father when he wasn't painting!” Elaine said.  “Art always filled our home, and he sold paintings his whole life.  People in the beach community where we grew up were always welcome at our house to see his latest work after he finished for the day.  Although he had other jobs, he never put his pencil and paintbrush down until the day before he died.  His last painting, Clever Exit, featured a sailboat leaving the harbor on a beautiful day.”

Some of the paintings, like that of a guardian angel and the Nativity, were David’s own creative vision, but most were based on things he saw.  He enjoyed painting the beauty reflected in the movement of the water and sky and other beach scenes around his home.  When he traveled, he returned and painted the places he visited, creating his own postcards.

Amazingly, Elaine’s father was color blind, but he somehow managed to capture colors in his own way.  “We didn't know he was color blind until my mom told us!” said Elaine.  “He also only had one good eye because of surgery following a detached retina, but nothing stopped him.  We loved his perspective, and so did everyone who bought his paintings.  His use of color was part of his signature style.  He was a soulful Irishman who loved telling stories - both with words and pictures.”

After Elaine’s parents both died, she became trustee of the family home located a block from Lake Michigan.  The trust wasn't funded, but her mom wanted to keep the home in the family.  Elaine and her sister, Judi, decided to sell their father's art prints online to see if that could help keep her dream alive.  They have been selling the art at dclangley.com as well as at art shows and private events.

As they began selling the art, it quickly became clear to Elaine’s family that their father’s story needed to be told to inspire anyone coming from humble circumstances like his with a similar dream. 

David's father died while he was young, and his mother went to work in a rug mill as a factory worker in Amsterdam, New York.  Despite everything, she told her four children they would all go to college, as she was a huge advocate of education.  David was a gifted athlete, a left-handed pitcher at St. Mary's School in Amsterdam.  His coach, who was the equipment manager for the New York Yankees and the athletic director of the high school, arranged for a scout from the Chicago Cubs to look at David.  

The Cubs offered him a contract while he was still in high school, but his mother said he had to go to college first.  So the Cubs owner, Philip Wrigley, agreed to pay David’s tuition at the University of Notre Dame as a contract bonus.  During his college years, he joined the Cubs minor league for spring training and practice.  He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in education, but then the Korean War broke out.  After graduation, David served in the Marine Corp and was assigned to Special Services, playing baseball for troop morale. 

“Our parents taught us that faith and education are treasures no one can take away, and their daily lives proved the value of both,” Elaine explained.  “Today, art, faith, and community are at the heart of what we do.

“Coming full circle, all five kids in my family went to college, also with the help of scholarships,” Elaine continued.  “Today as EdChoice coordinator at Central Catholic, I hope to pay all the generosity forward and play a small part in helping families in a variety of situations get funding for CCHS.  I know that the experience here - with the teachers, coaches, staff, and faith community - changes the trajectory of the students’ lives.  My dad always said, ‘Do what you can.  To some it may be more than you dare to think.’  We all get opportunities to make a difference!”

Previous Editions of “After the Bell”
Tye Turner (September)