Tributes

George H. White, Jr., 84, of Roxborough, a long-time H.S. guidance counselor at Plymouth-Whitemarsh Sr. H.S. in Plymouth Meeting for over 25 years, died of complications related to Parkinson’s disease on October 14, at Cathedral Village in Andorra. As a guidance counselor, Mr. White brought a heartfelt dedication to his specialty of assisting upper class high school students to prepare and apply for college. His sons tell of frequent times when he was stopped on the street by many former students. These successful adults would introduce him to their spouse and young children, then thanking him profusely for “believing in me,” and assisting their search for the right college or university. Many would even tell him they wouldn’t have gotten into college, were it not for his support and direction. A veteran of World War II, Mr. White especially enjoyed running into service academy graduates that, as a long-time member of Congressman Lawrence Coughlin’s (R-Norristown) Service Academy Selection Committee, he had guided to West Point, Annapolis, and Colorado Springs. Born in Martinez, California, to George H. White, Sr., and Sydney Baird White, Mr. White moved with his family to the East Coast after the stock market collapse of 1929, and settled in Garrett Hill, PA. He graduated from Radnor High School in 1943, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. After training as a radio navigator, he was stationed on Guam when the war ended. After the war, on the G.I. Bill, Mr. White attended West Chester Teachers College, earning a B.A. in 1949. He began teaching history and geography at Thomas Williams Jr. High in the Cheltenham School District, and in 1955 finished a Masters Degree in Education and Childhood Development, at Temple University. Shortly thereafter, he met the music teacher, Helen Louise Whayne, at a faculty meeting. They were soon married in Tulsa, OK, on August 17, 1956. “It was the hottest day of my life,” he often said, as the temperature reached a reported 107 degrees Fahrenheit. “But it was the greatest day of my life.” The two remained married after 52 years. In 1988, the year before he retired from teaching, Mr. White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative neurological disorder that he successfully managed and dealt with for more than 20 years, until his death. His optimism to meeting the challenges of his affliction head-on, were best exemplified at the observation of his ten year ‘anniversary’ of being diagnosed, when he said, ”It’s not a fatal disease. I can learn to live with it, and I can adapt.” Raised by his parents to be a devout Episcopalian, Mr. White was a Vestryman at three Episcopal Churches during the course of his life: first at Church of the Good Shepard, in Rosemont; then at St. Jude and the Nativity in Lafayette Hill; and lastly at St. Thomas’ Church in Whitemarsh. He served as a Board Member of the Episcopal Services Committee from 1973-1979. The Whites have been long-time members of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields in Chestnut Hill, PA, since 1986. Mr. White was a fifty year member of the Cassia Lodge of Free Masonry, Ardmore, and was Worshipful Master in 1963. He was a member of the Bishop White Society for more than fifty years. He was also a long-time treasurer and trail leader of the Philadelphia Trail Club. He and his wife enjoyed nothing more than travel. And in 2006, accompanied by his wife and their three sons, he fulfilled his dream of visiting his ancestral home in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Mr. White was an accomplished musician who sang with two Barbershop Choruses: The Whitemarsh Militiamen, and the Bryn Mawr Mainliners. Lastly, he was a long-time baseball fan, who became a Phillies fan, he said, “when the Athletics left town in 1949.” His sons tell of growing up in a household where, “the game was always on. He’d arrange his day and his week to watch and listen to as many Phillies’ broadcasts as possible. If you got in the car, he’d quietly put the game on. He’d even put a transistor radio on a bushel basket in the yard, and listen to the game while raking the leaves, or washing the car.” Nothing was more important to Mr. White than his family. He is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Helen Louise Whayne White; by three loving sons, George H. White, III, of Pennington, NJ, Gregory Whayne White, PhD., of Northampton, MA, and John Douglas White, of San Rafael, CA; and by four adoring grandchildren, Brian, Ellen, Emmett, and Sydney White. Services will be held at Church of St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, Chestnut Hill, at 1:00pm, Saturday, October 18, 2008. Interment, immediately following, at St. Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh; all are then invited to a Reception, 4:00pm, at Cathedral Village. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his name to: Episcopal Community Services, 225 S. 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA, 19106. Or to the Memorial Fund at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin’s Lane, Philadelphia, PA, 19118.

Tributes

George H. White Jr.

July 15, 1924 - October 14, 2008