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THE COLI.EGIATE
THE MAN --
What He Gave Up And What He Has
hy JOHN
A N'»rth coIU-a^ pr« -i-
d«‘nt. who >UirU'd eiut life Riward
i* buaI <>r pn»frr.;^jonal golfiiiit and
wound ip m thr minutry. a few
d««>» U'fiirr htk inauguratKin »aid
that hi» ):>•.»• tut young p*'opU* and
rr1’?'Mti;»ri han Irfl him n*i dfnire
to rrturn to th<* miniHir> from Ihr
ftrld r>( I'dur.ilioti
Dr Tr.ivtjt White admlt^ that hr
»prndi» u great d« ai of hl^ tune now
pre.i<.'hing in lh<* varu>u> churches
of lh(* Chrutian d(*fu>mination in
Nort^ ('.irolinw but indiraW'd that
hu fjtul l«»vr ha^ thv field
of (-duration
Hr alMJ beUeVitk that AUaittir
Chnntian Coll# K«- I* a gnminn In
Ktituti'Ti in Kustrrn Carolina and
provi*d »t r«‘*t*ntl> wht*n. on a nix
wifk* tiMir t/i ralM- ftind^ for Ihr
4-t»IIrg»* with the Rrv J M Wrftcr*
of Araphahot*. hr helix'd in the
raising of SlOO ooo
'Non<- of thr donations was more
than S3.000.“ h« sikI "atMi many
of Ihrrn were much smaller ”
Dr Whltr a nativr of Ham
mond. La . where he grew up in
the tMiyou country of that state as
h boy t^ter hr and his family
moved to Shreveport La . where
he finished his early school
One of five sons of hlj^ pi*rentj».
Dr. White then attended Texas
Christian IV.iverslty in Texa* Iji-
ler hr did graduate work at the
Univer*Jlty of Chicagc» in 1934
Incidentally, the son of parents of
mod**ratr means Dr White work»‘d
his way through college canng fur
the grounds of the pla<^r along with
other boys who wanted an educa-
iKin enough t/j w<»rk for it
In his youth he became mt4*rested
in golf, wax a ciiddy at the Country
Club at Shrevepf>rt 1^ and later
worked up to a:«M4ttant to the pro
fessional
"1 meant t<> be :i professional
myself in those days *, he grins
today, "and I still play g<ilf though
I don t havi* ..s much time as I
used to But at collegc I becam«*
in!m*»t**d in the work of the Chris
tian tlndravor. youth group of the
Christian Church, and thi.s turned
mt^ toward the ministry. Incidental-
ly, talkmg of golf, my brother. Ned.
i.s professional m>w at the Rroad-
morr country club in Sihre\eport.”
His rt«e in the ministry was rap
id In 1935 he took his first pas
torate at the Christian Church In
Paris. Texas, a church with some
650 members. He stayed there for
srven years and in 1942 he moved
to the pastorate of the First Chris
tian Church of LitUe Rock. Ark .
with some 1.500 members. He
stayi*d there until 1948. when ho
moved to Texas Tech College at
I/ubboi'k, Texas as director of the
Student Center and minister of
lAibbock’s First C^hristian Church.
Here he was when he was called
to become preMdent last year of
Atlantic Christian College in WU-
aon.
A lover of young p«‘<jple Dr. White
decrie* the theory, advanced by
some these days that youth : on 1
I thr down gradt
I "There is no difference in me in j
I the youth of today than there was!
to years .igo and vice vers.i. They
are still wonderful " ht will tell
Tlwy'rv S(td: Clad
"Wf hate to see him k"!' "VV'cVf Klad to ««■<■ him
(i>mr
\V»- c an t-a.iiiy understaiui why the peopU- in Lubbock
diita.'t like the idea of losinK such a valuable man a.-» Dr.
Whiti'. who wait a pul.xatini; movement in the community
life there h.-< he ha.n come to be here in Wilion. Kven in
l.ubbock hi.H work was not bound to the denominational
level alone, but stretched into the crevices of foritotten
iive«t, and reached the heijrhts of valuable inter-denomi-
iiational status.
Mis popularity as a speaker brouKht him applause
from "all around the town” and the state. The love for
"our Texas friend” literally Krew in leap." and bounds
ucros,-* the country and the world while on his “Round the
World Tour.” to the extent that he was well-liked here
before he e\er arrived to take over the new respon.sibili-
ties
I'pon arrivinjr on the campus of Atlantic Chri.stian
he immediately drew people to him with hi.-* winninjf per-
.Honality, and the students “fell for him." The majrnetic
force of his very presence commanded resjH-ct and love
for a man who has a word for evervone he .sees.
But naturally one of his ability is taken from the
campus on numerous occasions becauw of the jrreat de
mand for his speaking jjift. Far and wide acro.<4» the state
he has traveled to various churches and civic clubs to
speak, carrying with him the (rood-will of the collefre and
boo9tinK it wherever he Roes.
We feel that we have a ‘ prince of a man” as our new
President, who first considered profes<>ional Kolfinjf a? his
profesxion. but later realized where hi* real talent lay
and bejraii to prepare for it with an earnestt endeavor and
honest conviction. The students of Atlantic Christian
rollejfe treasure the friendship of this man with hijrh
esteem, and love him with deep devotion.
—James Hembv.
you
Dr. White marruKl : Kansas girl
w'hik- at Texas Chn.vtian Univer
sity. It girl he met on the < ampui.
■«nd the two havi three children,
two boys and a girl. Travis Jr.
fKiw a student at TCU. a member
of the ROTC. and is studying in
the field of science. He dijos not
intend, his father said here today,
to enter the ministry. Ned. the oth
er son. i.s Ij years old and a stu
dent in Charles L. Coon High School
in Wilson. Hi* father say^ that
Ned's ambition at the present is
to become a rancher m the west,
an occupation that Dr. W'hite. it>-
cidentally. dearly likes «
“I used to spend much of m>
time in the west on horseback help
ing to brand the cattle and parti
cipating in the round-up.” says the
president.
His daughter. Diana is four.
Mrs White, incidentally, is an
accomplished musician, especially
at the organ.
Dr White?
"I am certainly not a musician'
he smiles “but I like music.*'
By his own admission Dr W'hite'^
"greatest delight" is quail huntin;.:
and his ’ favorite companion ’ i>
, his setter bird dog. Joe.
"I ve doiK some icoose hunting
down at Belhaven ^ince I have been
in North Carolina, but / haven't
seen many quail.’* he said here
A great traveler. Dr W’hiU- tra-
velt*d sf»me 35.000 mile?-: around thi
world back in 1952 yisiUnK the
mission field. Here at home hi
keeps busy traveling too, and
when he arrived ui Dunn this past
week he war just ending five week>
of preaching in various places in
North Carolina. Though h<‘ onlv
arrived in the .state for the first
time last August, he has. he says,
been all over it already.
He if a iso extremely active in
civic work. A member of the Lion5
Club he has held e\ery office in
that organization except president
and "I haven’t the time to do that
big )ob." At present he is a
member of the Wilson Lions Club
He likens spr>rt>. especially bas
ketball. and even though the past
basketball season is a thing of
the past he continues, with some
delight, to tell of the night when
Atlantic Christian College’s Bull
dogs 5et a new scoring record in
the Conference Tournament
A Christian man in every sen«(
of the word and a believer in
teaching Christianity to the youth
nf today. Dr. W*hite is, how'ever
definitely sure that he likes the
field of educati^.
“I have DO desire to return to
the ministry now.** he says, “It
waf a wonderful experience and
I sUU preach, but I love the idea
of education — educating the youth
of today and tomorrow.’*
lliis is the man who was in*
augurated seventh president of At
lantic Christian College on April 30.
h