By Michael Motes

In addition to the keynote address and workshop chaired by Cardinal Humberto Medeiros of Boston, delegates to the National Convention of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, now underway at the Sheraton-Biltmore will be addressed by a local educator of renown and both the National and International Presidents of the charitable organization.

Dr. Noah H. Langdale, Jr., president of Georgia State University for more than 20 years, will speak to the delegates September 29 following Cardinal Medeiros' 10 a.m. address. Dr. Langdale, the recipient of numerous professional and civic awards and honors, will have as his topic "Urban Problems That Face the Poor."

Dr. Langdale has served by presidential appointments of Eisenhower and Kennedy on the U.S. Advisory Commission Educational Exchange; as a member of the board of directors of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; as chairman of the City of Atlanta Citizens Advisory Committee for Urban Renewal, and was the recipient of the first "Georgian of the Year Award" from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters. He holds membership in numerous professional organizations, as well as the Atlanta Chapter Sons of the American Revolution.

An active member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul since 1948, Howard E. Halaska of Elm Grove, Wisconsin, is currently serving as national president. He will address the delegates following the September 29 registration at 9 a.m.

In addition to his Vincentian involvement, Halaska has been active in Catholic charities at local and national levels and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Conference of Catholic Charities since 1969.

Upon his election to the national SVDP presidency in October, 1975, Halaska declared that his resolve and prayer would be "not to be served but to serve." Since taking office, he has set aside in the aggregate almost two months of each year for his presidential duties and has traveled close to 100,000 miles.

Keynote speaker for the September 30 banquet will be International SVDP President Joseph Rouast from France, whose involvement with the organization began in 1941, when he joined the Yves Conference at the Faculty of Law at Paris.

From 1944 to 1945, he was an officer of the Committee of the Student Conferences of Law, Ecole du Louvre, Political Sciences, Treasury Department, and in 1967 became a member of the Council General.

A highlight of the convention will be a Mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on September 30 at 5:30 p.m., at which Cardinal Medeiros will be principal celebrant. All priests of the Archdiocese of Atlanta have been invited to concelebrate.

Serving as conventional chairman for the local host conference are executive secretary Joe Flanagan and John Halligan.