Howard A. White (September 28, 1913 - February 1, 1991)[1][2] was an American historian and academic administrator. He served as the president of Pepperdine University from 1978 to 1985.
Howard Ashley White | |
---|---|
President of Pepperdine University | |
In office 1978–1985 | |
Preceded by | William S. Banowsky |
Succeeded by | David Davenport |
Personal details | |
Born | September 28, 1913 Cloverdale, Lauderdale County, Alabama |
Died | February 1, 1991 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Spouse | Maxcine Feltman |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | David Lipscomb College (AA) Tulane University (BA), (MA), (PhD) |
White was born on September 28, 1913, in Cloverdale, Alabama. He graduated from David Lipscomb College in 1932, and he earned a master's degree and PhD in history from Tulane University, finishing in 1953.[3][4][5] From 1933 to 1942, White served as a preacher at a number of Church of Christ congregations in Mississippi.[6]
White was a minister of the Churches of Christ in New Orleans, Louisiana while he was still in graduate school.[4] He was described as an "evangelist" at the Carrollton Avenue Church of Christ in 1951.[4]
White began his academic career as a professor of history at David Lipscomb College in 1953. In 1958, he joined the history faculty at George Pepperdine College as chair of the social sciences division.[6] He published literature about the Reconstruction era.[3] White served the university in a number of roles, including as executive vice president,[7] and he founded the school's program in Heidelberg in 1963.[8]
White served as the president of Pepperdine University from 1978 to 1985.[3] During the course of his presidency, "Pepperdine's financial resources more than doubled during White's presidency, from $90 million to more than $208 million."[9] His tenure also saw the addition of 200 acres to the school's Malibu campus, the construction of a considerable number of buildings on campus—including Eddy D. Field Stadium—and the 1984 Summer Olympics, which took place, in part, at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool.[10] He was succeeded by David Davenport.
White married Maxcine Feltman in June 1952. She died in 1973.[6] They had two sons.[3] White died in 1991 in Los Angeles, at 77.[3]