White, who gained national acclaim for Elon's music program as band director, passed away on Dec. 15, 2019.
A Celebration of Life for Jack O. White, the beloved band director who gained national acclaim for Elon鈥檚 music program, will be held at 2 p.m., June 18, in the Snyder Auditorium on the campus of Wytheville Community College, Wytheville, Virginia. White died on Dec. 15, 2019, in Jacksonville, Florida, and the service was delayed due to the pandemic.
The service and reception will include an opportunity for attendees to share memories, recollections and amusing stories surrounding White鈥檚 life. Friends and students may post their tributes to Dr. White at .
White鈥檚 legacy at Elon traces back to 1962, when then Elon President J. Earl Danieley 鈥49 hired him to join the music department. 鈥淗e made such an impact on all of us,鈥 said Raymond Beck 鈥75, who played in Elon鈥檚 marching band under White鈥檚 leadership and is helping to organize the Celebration of Life. He described White as a 鈥渢rue Elon legend鈥 who touched the lives of countless students. 鈥淗e highly influenced his students, many of whom later became high school, college and university band directors for several generations and from sea to sea.鈥
White developed Elon鈥檚 marching band, 鈥淭he Showband of the Carolinas,鈥 achieving a wide reputation for creative and entertaining football half time shows. He also organized the Emanons, Elon鈥檚 jazz ensemble. The United States Department of Defense named the jazz band 鈥淎ll American Entertainment Troupe鈥 in 1971, and in the same year, they were asked to participate in the Montreaux Switzerland International Jazz Festival. The Emanons continued to perform in Europe from U.S.O. shows in Germany to a Grand Ball de la Doune in Luxembourg. They were the featured attendees of New York鈥檚 First Annual Brass Conference in 1973, made a guest appearance at the Lincoln Center and performed annually at Disney World for years. In all, the group completed 23 tours under White鈥檚 direction.
White was recognized as Elon鈥檚 Outstanding Professor in 1968 and upon his retirement in 1986 was named Professor Emeritus of Music. In 1995 he received the prestigious Elon Medallion and in 2012 he was named Band Director Emeritus. The band facility in the Center for the Arts was named in his honor in 2012.