John Joseph White III, 1939-2016

John Joseph White, III, Ph.D., physicist, scholar, and researcher, died on March 19, 2016 of severe spinal cord injuries sustained from a fall on March 5.
John was born in Arlington, Massachusetts on April 24, 1939, the son of John Joseph White, Jr., and Ruth Madden White. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 47 years Pat; son John J., IV, wife Aisha Garba White, and 9-week old granddaughter Jael Rose; son Edmund T., wife Anna Catipon White, and loving granddaughters Mia Christine and Nicole Marie; John’s sister Susan Ruth and husband Stephen Thompson, of College Park, GA.; nephew Stephen Thompson, Jr., and sons Christopher and Michael; niece Leigh T. Loud and husband Adrian Loud with children A. J., Madison, and Bethany; and niece Samantha T. Kirby and husband Dr. Brian Kirby with sons Crawford and Solomon; brother-in-law James W. Wagner, nephew Paul W. Wagner, and many cousins including Patrick and John Boylan and their families. John enjoyed a carefree childhood in the early ‘40s, growing up in Boston, MA of a different day, where he and friends were free to explore the city as they wished, often swimming at the YMCA or engaging in softball & baseball coached by his dad. With paternal roots in Northeast Vermont, childhood memories were filled with train trips to Island Pond, VT visiting family while his dad was serving in the US Navy during WWII. John was proud of his role as protective older brother to his sister Susan (8.5 years younger) and, after the family’s move to Chicago in 1948, John made his own spending money selling newspapers on a windy Chicago corner on Sunday mornings and later attending Rich Township High School, where his social dancing skills took him and friends to The Dick Clark Show. During his years at The College of William & Mary, graduating with a B.S. in Physics in 1960, John served as editor of the college newspaper and excelled in Bridge tournaments. Also at W&M John discovered his love of track & field, later becoming a recognized national official in adjudicating the high jump. After completing graduate study in physics at Univ. of NC at Chapel Hill in 1965 John served in the rank of Captain in the US Army. Upon honorable discharge in 1966 he served as an Asst Professor of Physics at Univ. of Georgia, where he mentored many a struggling pre-med student through mandatory science courses. Married with two young sons, he moved the family to Columbus, Ohio in 1975, where John accepted a position as principal research scientist at Battelle Memorial Institute. In 1992 when work at Battelle concluded, John’s intellectual curiosity focused on ancient history, specifically a system of ancient writing found worldwide. Many of his research papers can be enjoyed in journals of the Midwest Epigraphic Society for which he served as editor. This passion for the common ancient symbols resulted in travels with Pat to many of the great museums of the world. Meticulously organized, he amassed an extensive collection of research and insights that epigraphers who follow in years to come may build from. The family expresses appreciation to Pastor Lou Seipel of Broad Street United Methodist Church, to friends Dennis Fuhr, April Lee, Brian Johnson, Roger Sexton, Ken Zimmerman, and Dr. John Ball, and to the Neuro ICU team at Riverside Hospital for their intense caring during John’s hospitalization. A celebration of John’s life will be held on Monday, March 28 at Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home, 515 High Street, Worthington with visiting hours beginning at 10:00 until time of service at 1:00. In lieu of flowers the family welcomes donations to the Broad Street United Methodist Church Bell Choir, 505 East Broad Street, Columbus, 43215 in John’s memory.