Bill White attended Carleton for only his first college year, 1960-61. He played football on a depleted freshman team, and made a good many friends. But he did not thrive under Carleton’s academic pressure, and soon returned back to his lifetime hometown of St. Louis, MO, where he received an economics degree at Washington University.
He also completed a master’s degree at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. Bill then returned again to St. Louis and a series of jobs, most of short duration, starting with the St. Louis Regional Industrial Development Corp., McDonnell Aircraft Corp., the May Co. and a half-dozen others.
He typically worked in policy analysis, marketing strategy, systems engineering, or financial areas. For a year, he was a plant manager at Wagner Electric Co.
In 1967, Bill married Linda McCrackin. They had four sons before their divorce in 1980. He remarried in 1981, and had a daughter, but that union also later ended in divorce.
Through most of his adult life, Bill suffered from depression — in an era before pharmaceutical advances improved medical ability to deal efficiently with that condition. Even as friends and family were concerned that he wasn’t receiving the best medical treatment, his health gradually was eroded. His treatment included controversial electroshock therapy that may have affected his memory.
In the early 80s, Bill’s mental condition had so deteriorated that he stopped working; he was placed on disability under the federal SSI program. He tried to remain active, at one point teaching mathematics for a year at a parochial school, but he was unable to cope adequately with transportation and routine logistical issues.
That led to assisted living, and later, a nursing home. Bill suffered a stroke in late 2011, and died on Jan. 24, 2012.
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Submitted by Dave Beckwith Bill White attended Carleton for only his first college year, 1960-61. He played football on a depleted freshman team, and made a good many friends. But he did not thrive under Carleton’s academic pressure, and soon returned back to his lifetime hometown of St. Louis, MO, where he received an economics degree at Washington University. He also completed a master’s degree at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. Bill then returned again to St. Louis and a series of jobs, most of short duration, starting with the St. Louis Regional Industrial Development Corp., McDonnell Aircraft Corp., the May Co. and a half-dozen others. He typically worked in policy analysis, marketing strategy, systems engineering, or financial areas. For a year, he was a plant manager at Wagner Electric Co. In 1967, Bill married Linda McCrackin. They had four sons before their divorce in 1980. He remarried in 1981, and had a daughter, but that union also later ended in divorce. Through most of his adult life, Bill suffered from depression -- in an era before pharmaceutical advances improved medical ability to deal efficiently with that condition. Even as friends and family were concerned that he wasn’t receiving the best medical treatment, his health gradually was eroded. His treatment included controversial electroshock therapy that may have affected his memory. In the early 80s, Bill’s mental condition had so deteriorated that he stopped working; he was placed on disability under the federal SSI program. He tried to remain active, at one point teaching mathematics for a year at a parochial school, but he was unable to cope adequately with transportation and routine logistical issues. That led to assisted living, and later, a nursing home. Bill suffered a stroke in late 2011, and died on Jan. 24, 2012. Submitted by Dave Beckwith