John White

Memorial services for John Earl "Jack" White, 97, of Tyler will be held on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 2:00 PM at Marvin United Methodist Church with Rev. John Robbins and Bishop John Heart officiating and under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler. Mr. White passed away on November 4, 2007 at the Kingsley Place Nursing Home in Henderson. Mr. White was born on October 3, 1910 in Colfax, Texas to the late John Earl and Minnie Lou Gentry White and was a graduate of Marshall High School. He later married Dorothy Fay Needham and they were married for 48 years at the time of her death in 2000. The couple's passion for education began with their college years. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1939, the war took Jack to a different learning ground. Dorothy Fay began her college days at Tyler Junior College while her future husband, Jack, was fighting in World War II. He served in the China-Burma-India theatre of operations from 1942 to 1945. In 1945, he left the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel and came to Tyler where his family had settled after his father, a Methodist minister, retired. He embarked upon a career with Sinclair Oil and Refinery which later became Atlantic Richfield and retired in 1960. Marvin United Methodist Church became a big part of Jack and Dorothy Fay's lives. Jack served on the administrative board and finance commission and is past president of his Sunday School class. Jack's uncle, Brady Gentry, had a significant influence on Jack's personal views about giving. "I grew up in a giving environment," Jack always loved to say. "If a student wants to go to college, he or she should have that opportunity. Education is the one thing no one can take from you." Jack was the trustee of the Brady P. Gentry Trust at Tyler Junior College which provides scholarships to students graduating from East Texas area high schools. As benefactors to Tyler Junior College, Jack and Dorothy Fay White played an important role in molding a better future for generations of students through endowments and various contributions. During their lifetimes, the Whites gave over $2.7 million to TJC. In the 1980's, the Whites established or sponsored matching funds toward ten presidential scholarships . . . a minimum endowment of $25,000 each. These scholarships provide funding to TJC students who demonstrate academic excellence and possess leadership qualities. The Whites funded a total of 33 endowed scholarships at the College, plus 3 teaching chairs. In the early 1990's, the Whites provided the lead contribution for the establishment of the Jack and Dorothy Fay White Administrative Services Center. The three-story building, named in their honor, is the home to admissions, the registrar, student financial aid and scholarships, financial services, human resources, advancement, alumni, college relations and executive administration. Mr. and Mrs. White also had a passion for traveling and in 1991 they were able to accompany the TJC Band, Apache Belles, and Harmony and Understanding on a goodwill trip to France. Mr. White was a member of The University of Texas at Tyler Development Board, U.T. Tyler President's Associates and Cowan Center Circle. The lobby of the Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center was named for the Whites. Jack and Dorothy Fay White were recipients of the 1990 Patriots of the Year Award at The University of Texas at Tyler for their dedication to the academic and cultural life of the university, and for their generous contributions to its scholarship program. He was dedicated to making it possible for several hundred deserving young people to realize their dreams of going to college. The Whites established twenty-six endowed scholarships at U.T. Tyler. The Whites were instrumental in gifts totaling over $2 million to The University of Texas at Tyler. The Whites were honored in 1996 at the Prevent Blindness Texas People of Vision dinner. As a volunteer who shared monthly devotions with local retirement and nursing home residents for more than forty years, he brought into their lives a breath of fresh air, a touch of human kindness, and the comfort of a loyal friend. Over the years, the devotions made for a special bond, with both sides feeling richly blessed. A quiet benefactor who shunned the spotlight, he would much rather have been about the business of helping others than receiving recognition for his many years of service to this community. But the fact remains that his passion, dedication, and generosity of spirit will long be remembered by those to whom he brought happiness and friendship, or a future filled with hope. "God has indeed blessed us, and we have found it extremely satisfying to share what we have . . . It is our hope that we leave a legacy to mankind through these young people." Jack White was preceded in death by his loving wife, Dorothy Faye Needham; two brothers, Mastin G. White and Brady H. White; and one sister, Cora Lou Johnson. He is survived by a brother, Andrew Ben White and wife, Margy Ann, of Houston; a niece, Lynda Johnson Shipp of Laneville; and two nephews, Andy White of Los Alamos, New Mexico and Joseph Johnson of Longview. Memorials in honor of Jack White may be made to Tyler Junior College Scholarship Fund, c/o Tyler Junior College Foundation, P.O. Box 9020, Tyler, Texas 75711 or to The University of Texas at Tyler Scholarship Fund, c/o Office for University Advancement, 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, Texas 75799.

John White

October 3, 1910 - November 4, 2007