I’ve done this before, but I wanted to add some stuff from the last column I wrote about my dad.

Tomorrow would have been my father’s 101st birthday. My mother, sisters and I lost him at an early age. Sadly, at 55 years old, he died of cancer. It’s a painful memory, but now I overlook that with fond memories. Here are some thoughts about him.

He was a courageous soldier in World War II fighting as a fighter pilot against the Japanese “Zero” pilots. As one of his great friends, the amazing 102 years young Jack Blackwell, told me one time, he was a top gun.

There were some great stories from his time in the Pacific. Uncle Jack Blackwell was also a WWII hero. They all were. Jack told me that he went over to Pearl Harbor and went to a breakfast joint and my superb Uncle, Emmet O’Neal, Craft’s father was in there reading the Birmingham Herald. This was after the attack at Pearl Harbor and Uncle Emmet had a big job as captain in the Navy building ships. Jack told me he saw him and he said, “Hello, Emmet.” Uncle Emmet lowered his paper and said in his typical nonchalant way, “Hello, Jack.”

So the two of them got together and decided to have a drink. My father was coming to see UE in his plane and was happy to see Jack with him. They had a good time to say the least. When it was time to leave, Daddy was really upset with them because he was a little lit up. He left PH and flew back to his base. The next day they called Uncle Emmet at Pearl Harbor and asked him where Lieutenant White was. Apparently he had flown to another base. He made it back, and he was such a good pilot, they laughed about it and let it go.

Uncle Emmet was a character, to say the least, but also a highly accomplished man. He grew O’Neal Steel into the stellar business it is today. He was a college wrestler and when Craft and I were youngsters, he’d get us to wrestle him. He was get on his stomach and we’d put holds on him. He was fast as a hiccup and had us both down in no time.

When he was 65, he got his physical and the doctor said he was as fit as a 35 year old. He told his wife, Aunt Mary Ann, “I owe it all to smoking and drinking.”

He and my father were tremendous friends.

One of my dad’s other great friends, Jimmy Webb from Nashville, who was like a second father to me before he passed away in 2009, told me that he was in Hawaii after the war, and he heard these men talking at the bar saying, “Whitey this and Whitey that.” He asked them if that was David White and they said. “Oh yeah, that’s Whitey.” He found daddy and they had some fun together. They were also tight. Uncle Jimmy was an accomplished football and basketball player at Vanderbilt. He went on to have a highly successful career as a banker and enjoyed his retirement years very comfortably. He had a blast in retirement and he had earned it. We were both big Vandy guys, and we went through the pain year after year pulling for our Dores. But we were undaunted. I’m still undaunted today.

Daddy was a boxer in the Navy. He was also a wrestler. When I was younger, we’d box. He had a tough right cross and a killer right hook. But we enjoyed doing some sparring. I’m a member of Battle Republic a boxing/fitness gym in Homewood and the Summit, and I believe they’ve opened one up in T-town. I boxed today for my dad. It was an emotional workout as I thought about him and hit the bag tirelessly for him.

He was a terrific husband, father and friend. He had so many friends. At his funeral, there were more men and women at Independent Presbyterian than they had ever seen. He was popular.

He decided to go against the grain and take another path after working for 20 years at O’Neal. He wanted to be a professor and teach young adults. He earned his Masters at Alabama in history, his PHD at Alabama and taught at the old BUS. One of his students, who is my eye doctor, said they played basketball with the teachers and he was one physical cat. He throw the shoulders and the elbows. He was a tough cookie.

And some other of his students, like the great Bruce Denson, told me he was an amazing teacher. I was in the post office when it was in Mountain Brook Village one time, and the postman behind the desk, saw my name on a letter and asked me, “Was your dad, Dr. White.” I said he was, and he said, “Best Professor I ever had.” Made me feel great. He made an impact for his community first at BUS teaching history and German, he was fluent in German and Spanish, and then at UAB as a history professor. He wrote a book on the Spanish Governor of Florida from 1789-1812, Juan Vicente Folch. He was in Madrid and my mom, Penny and I were with him. It was memorable. He had to translate all his research from Spanish to English. It was a lot of work. He was a hard worker.

I remember he supported my sports. I was a quarterback in 7th grade playing with guys like Craft, Joseph “Bama Golf” Donald, the late great Joey Conzelman and others. I had a good year. One game wasn’t my best. I was a little dejected afterwards, and he said, “You did well, son. I’m proud of you.” Talk about building you up when you’re not at your best. He didn’t do a ton of that, but when he did, it meant something.

I’ve been trying to get started on my Alabama 2023 football column and then get to my Auburn 2023 football column. I’ve been a little slower getting to it. I’m working on publishing my fifth book, which will come out this fall, so I’ve been concentrating on that for now. But I will have the Crimson Tide, the Tigers, them Dawgs, the Bengal Tigers, etc… coming up. SEC Media Days is next week, so plenty to come. I may have procrastinated a little on it, and I know my dad would tell me to pick it up. I’ll do that.

He was a great one like so many of that generation. All the fellas on the blog have great ones, too. Brombey, Walt, Joseph, Theo, Brownie, Derrick, etc… so I know I’m not alone in my admiration for my father. Some have passed away. A few ares still with us.

He was a special guy. I miss him to this day. It’ll always be that way. But now, they’re fun memories. I thought I might share those with you guys.

I’ll be in touch on a lot of football coming up and the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England is next week. So, some great stuff coming up. Will keep you informed.