White, Frederick A.

Biography

Frederick A. White (1907-1980) was appointed interim president of Wright State in 1972, after the departure of Brage Golding, the university's first president. Mr. White served as interim president until the appointment of Robert J. Kegerreis as the university's 2nd official president in 1973. Often referred to as "Mr. Wright State," Fred White was the first employee of the Dayton Branch of Miami University and The Ohio State University Campus, which would become Wright State in 1967. Fred was a long time administrator at General Motors with a great interest in higher education, and as efforts to build a new state university in Dayton unfolded, Fred wanted to be a part of it. White served as the business manager of the Dayton Campus from September of 1962 through July of 1965, when he was formally designated as business manager, Wright State Campus, which became Wright State University in October 1967.

A skilled manager known for his creativity and flexibility, White helped plan nearly every aspect of the development of the Wright State campus, including land acquisitions, negotiating with base officials, working with local government, managing zoning, land use and bond issues, legislative lobbying for appropriations, and the design and construction of the campus. In 1967, White was named vice-president and treasurer of the university, until 1972 when he began his appointment as interim president. The Fred White Ambulatory Care Center, later re-named White Hall, was named in Mr. White's honor.

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