WILLIAM WHITE

WHITE--William Deakins. Will died October 11, 2019. He was born July 13, 1945, in Philadelphia, the son of the late Gilbert F. and Anne White. He received a BA from Haverford College and his MA and PhD from Harvard. Raised Quaker, Will was a conscientious objector and completed his alternative service at Massachusetts General Hospital which sparked his keen interest in health care policy. After serving as Acting Associate Director of the Institute of Government & Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago and then as the head of the Health Management Program at Yale University, Will became the Director of the Sloan Program in Health Administration and Professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University from 2003 until his untimely illness and retirement. Through his leadership, vision, and tireless work, Will turned the Sloan Program around. He attracted faculty to Cornell, student enrollment doubled, alumni became engaged, and the Program soared from 29th in the U.S. News & World Report rankings to its current top 10 ranking. One of Will's important legacies is training hundreds of students who are now helping health care organizations provide high- quality, affordable, and accessible health care. His stewardship of the Sloan Program will continue having an impact for years to come. Will's interests included 19th Century political cartoons, history, riding, and cross- country skiing. He is greatly missed by his cherished wife Olivia, children Gilbert and Lydia (Giovanni), and sisters Mary White and Frances Chapin. A memorial service will be held at Ithaca Friends Meeting, 120 3rd Street, Ithaca, NY, December 8 at 2pm. Will enthusiastically supported the Friends Committee for National Legislation and donations may be made to FCNL.