In Memoriam

Michael Joseph Patrick White, Sr. AAE '94, ALB '96 (right) with his sons and daughter in 1996.

Michael Joseph Patrick White, Sr. AAE '94, ALB '96 (1951-2001)

Michael Joseph Patrick White grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in an Irish, pro-union household. His father, John Aloysius White, had attended Harvard Business School. After high school, Michael became an officer in the Central Falls Police Department, eventually serving as a detective for nine years. During this time he broke up an international cocaine ring and contributed to the conviction and imprisonment of numerous Colombian drug lords. Warner Brothers studios commissioned two feature films about White's life, one scheduled to star Mel Gibson. While the films were not produced, Michael White, Jr., is now the proud owner of the scripts based on his father's career.

In 1986, Michael White, Sr. was appointed director of investigations under Rhode Island Attorney General James E. O'Neil, and then chief of the Rhode Island state fugitive task force, a position he held until his death. During this time he attended the Harvard Extension School, earning an AA in 1994 and an ALB in 1996. White was very proud to be able to follow his father to Harvard, and equally proud when his two sons, Michael and Daniel, daughter, Brooke, and nephew, Walter Barlow, followed his example at the Extension School.

On January 3, 2001, Michael White's family threw a surprise 50th birthday party for him at the Irish pub in his neighborhood. The event was attended by many local politicians and fellow police officers. The current Rhode Island Attorney General, Sheldon Whitehouse, a Yale graduate, teased White about his Harvard connections while acknowledging him as a "law enforcement legend." Six days later, on January 9, Michael Joseph Patrick White died suddenly in his sleep of a heart attack. The Extension School joins the White family in mourning his loss.