William J. White

 
WILLIAM JAMES WHITE, Physician  1914 - 2010   
William J. White, 96, a family doctor in Arlington Virginia for 40 years, died August 12, 2010 in Roanoke as a result of complications from a fall.  Dr. White was born May 20, 1914 in Washington, DC. Deeply influenced as an adolescent by Paul de Kruif's The Microbe Hunter, Dr. White began his career in medicine by earning a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Duquesne University. He then entered Georgetown University Medical School, graduating in 1941. Following his internship at Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, he entered the U. S. Army serving as a Port Battalion Surgeon with the Persian Gulf Command in Khorramshahr, Iran. From 1946 to 1985 Dr. White practiced family medicine in Arlington, serving for many years as Chairman of Family Practice at The Arlington Hospital (now Virginia Hospital Center). He was an active member of the Arlington County Medical Society. In 1978 he was awarded the Degree of Fellow by the American Academy of Family Physicians and recognized for over thirty years of service to the profession. After retiring, the Whites moved to Ligonier, PA where they became members of the Covenant Presbyterian Church. During the Ligonier years the Whites travelled extensively throughout the world, cruising by ship to Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and the Far East. Dr. White also became a skilled furniture maker, building clocks and tables for his children and grandchildren. His wife of 65 years, Eleanor Holbrook, died in 2007. Survivors include the Rev. Richard H. White, of Princeton, NJ; Frances W. Vasaly of Arlington, VA; Mark P. White of Moneta, VA; W. David White of Parkland, FL; John T. White of Roanoke, VA; and Anne W. Collins of Leesburg, VA. Dr. White had 14 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.  Dr. White's funeral service will be held at Ft. Myer Chapel on December 17, 2010 at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Arlington National Cemetery.