August 16, 2024
ºÚÁÏÉç mourns the loss of Dr. George F. White, ºÚÁÏÉç founder, former trustee, life-long learner, community leader, physician, mentor, veteran, and friend.
Dr. White and his wife, Sandy, have been a part of ºÚÁÏÉç since its creation. As a Board of Trustees member for the Shawnee State Community College in 1984, Dr. White made the motion for Shawnee State to become a four-year university. He was the last chairperson of the Shawnee State Community College Board and was elected the first chairperson of the ºÚÁÏÉç Board of Trustees. He often recounted those days with tremendous pride and supported ºÚÁÏÉç's continued growth through the years. Dr. White was appointed by Governor DeWine to a second term on the ºÚÁÏÉç Board of Trustees from 2016 to 2021.
For his outstanding contributions to Shawnee State, George was honored in 2019 with the Vernal G. Riffe, Jr. Founder's Medal. Among their contributions, the Whites helped advance Shawnee State's digital simulation and gaming programs, digital history preservation project, student research that is showcased every year during the Celebration of Scholarship, and the Appalachian Studies Conference.
They continue to make college possible for students in the region through the Dr. George and Sandy White Veterans Scholarship Endowment established to help veterans, their immediate family members, and descendants of Vietnam War-era veterans receive a college education. As a memorial, the family asked that friends remember him through a donation to this fund in his honor. The ºÚÁÏÉç Development Foundation will be making a matching contribution to the endowment for any memorial gifts made through October 1, 2024.
On behalf of the faculty, staff, students, and friends of ºÚÁÏÉç, thank you George for your unwavering championship of education, our students, and this community.
Eric Andrew Braun, J.D., Ed.D.
ºÚÁÏÉç President
officeofthepresident@shawnee.edu
(740) 351-3208