Richard N. White

RICHARD N. WHITE
Richard N. White, Dick, to all, died Saturday, October 4th, 2009, at the age of 75. He was a longtime resident of Ithaca. He was preceded in death by his father, Norman Lester White; and his mother, Lorna Elwilda Robinson White; many aunts and uncles of the Chetek, Wisconsin area; niece, Rebecca Mortt of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and a brother-in-law, Ray Mortt. He was born on December 21st, l933 in Chetek, Wisconsin and grew up on several different dairy farms.
He went to the University of Wisconsin in Madison, studying civil engineering, specializing in structures. He and his wife, Margaret C. Howell, were married in December 1957. They then moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where Marge continued her undergraduate degree at UW-Madison, and Dick started on his PhD in structures, while also teaching at the University of Wisconsin. Before joining the Cornell faculty in 1961, Dick worked for a firm of consulting engineers in Madison and served in the U.S. Corps of Engineers. He was a staff associate at Gulf General Atomic (1967-1968) and a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley (1974-75). At Cornell he served as director of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (1978-84) and associate dean for undergraduate programs (1987-90). He won many honors for teaching and research (including the ASCE Collingwood Prize, the ACI Wason Medal and Structural Engineering Prize, and the ACI Kelly Prize). He co-authored five books, and was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), as well as a member of the Prestressed/Precast Concrete Institute. He was awarded a chaired professorship (James A. Friend Family Distinguished Professor of Engineering), and in 1997 was elected President of the American Concrete Institute. Through his association with the American Concrete Institute, and also his teaching many foreign graduate students, he was able to travel to a great many places in the world, to Egypt to meet with former graduate students, to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and as president of ACI to many more places including the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Quatar, South America, Colombia, Chili, Brazil. Earlier, he and his wife traveled for 7 weeks as guests of the country of China, giving lectures at many places, including Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Wuhan, Xian, Chendu, and also traveled down the Yangtze River by boat. And of course, he always carried his favorite camera, recording his trips, the scenery, the people, the foods, and life wherever he was. Dick was very proud of his years at Cornell University, the colleagues and students who were an integral part of his career and life.
Photography was a major pastime for him. Dick enjoyed seeing people and recording their lives, viewing birds, animals, flowers, and all the things around him. He later entered many photographic exhibitions, and had numerous shows of his various works. They included photography shows at Kendall, Longview, art galleries in Ithaca, and a major show in eastern Massachusetts. He also spent much time recording the growth of his family, starting with a daughter, Barbara Ann and son David. Barbara and David went to Ithaca schools, except for sabbatical leaves in La Jolla, in a lovely home on the top of Mount Soledad, and the second one in El Cerrito, across the bay from San Francisco.
He enjoyed his many friends and neighbors through the years in the Belle Sherman, the Ellis Hollow, and the Lansing Trails neighborhood, as well as his beloved schnauzers: Greta 1969, Otto 1972, Heidi 1984, Max 1993, Mitzi 1996, and Schwartz, 2006.
He is survived by wife, Margaret; daughter, Barbara Ann Shaffer (William) of Arlington, VA, granddaughter, Natalie Apseloff, grandson, Nicholas Apseloff; son, David Charles White (fiance, Soeung Brenda Oeun) and children, Kuyheang Sok, Layheang Sok, Mary Sok, Andy Sok, and Michael Daniel Oeun, of Ithaca; a beloved sister, Joyce Mortt of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; three nieces, Susan Nelson (Mike), Madelyn, and Cynthia Lamb (J.P. Bowersock), and sons, Eli and Oliver, and Jennifer (Mark) Johnson and son, Peter; brothers-in-law, Charles Howell (Mary) WI, and Robert Howell (Kathy) WI; a niece, Kim Dutter (Roy) and children, Mathew, Kailey, and Kasey; a nephew, Dan Howell (Andrea) and sons, Jeremy and Zachary; a niece, Sherry Howell (Roman) and sons Jacob and Jeremy.
A short family service was held the day after his death. A memorial service in his honor will be held in the spring at Cornell University. Any donations in his honor can be sent to the Plantations at Cornell University or to the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He will be truly missed.