Mr. James E. White

The James E. White Scholarship was established by the Automotive Technology Department to honor Jim White. Mr. White was hired to teach Automotive Technology at SIU in 1961. His specialization was in automotive electronics. This was a time of rapid development in electronic emission and fuel controls. Upon the retirement of L.D. Willey in 1975, Mr. White became the second Coordinator of the Automotive Technology program and in 1986 he was elected Chair of the Applied Technology Division, which later became the Department of Automotive Technology. Mr. White served in that leadership capacity until his retirement in 1996 after 35 years of service to SIU.

Under Mr. White’s leadership, the Automotive Technology program became the first in the state to attain master level certification by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence. In addition, with the development of a national level recognition program by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the SIU Automotive Technology program was first named the number one program in the country in 1999.

In recognition of Mr. White’s unwavering dedication to students and excellence in the classroom, the Automotive Technology program at SIU created the James E. White Scholarship Endowment. Mr. White exemplified a positive attitude and a passion to learn. This scholarship will reward students who demonstrate these same traits.