John J. White, 92, died July 23, 2011, at his home.
He was born in New Haven, Conn., and also lived in Vero Beach.
He went to Yale University and was a Naval ROTC cadet.
He was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy upon graduation and served as chief engineering officer during World War II on destroyers in the North Atlantic and Pacific theaters and as executive officer of the destroyer USS Jarvis before retiring with the rank of lieutenant commander.
He began his industrial career with the American Brake Shoe Co. and worked in production and sales.
He and two longtime partners started the Midland Manufacturing Corp. in 1951.
As president, Midland grew from a small machine shop to a worldwide supplier of railway equipment, mobile homes and recreation equipment before its acquisition by Dover Corp. in 2004.
He also became a member of the Illinois Bar after completing night law school at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
He was honored by his selection as its Alumnus of the Year in 1964.
He was a longtime director of the Better Government Association of Chicago, serving from 1962 until his death.
He also served a term as its president.
He was a life member of the Chicago Bar Association Foundation and the Navy League of the United States.
He served as a trustee of the Glenbrook High School District 225 in Illinois, including one term as president.
He served as a trustee and overseer of Cheshire Academy, where the Science and Technology Center was named in his honor.
He was counselor to the Paul Simon Institute at Southern Illinois University.
White established the White Brothers Scholarship in 1985 to assist students in need who were matriculating at Yale from the Greater New Haven Area.
He was a major donor for the reconstruction of Yale Baseball Field.
He was a Sterling Fellow of Yale University.
He was vice chairman of the Business and Professionals for Kennedy, organizing local committees and fundraising for John F. Kennedy throughout Illinois.
He was a member of the Union League Club of Chicago, Yale Clubs, of Chicago and New York City, Sunset Ridge Country Club, of Northfield, Ill., and The Moorings Club, of Vero Beach.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia, of Glenview; daughter, Mary Carolyn, of South Riding, Va.; and stepsons, Bradley Swick and James Burnham.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jane; brother James; and sister, Mary Ellen.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Better Government Association of Chicago, 11 E. Adams St., Suite 608, Chicago, IL 60606.
A celebration of his life will be at 4 p.m. July 29 at the N.H. Scott & Hanekamp Funeral Home in Glenview.
