Area Alumnus Gives Holy Cross $1 Million Gift

WORCESTER, Mass. – George J. White, a 1939 graduate, is donating $1 million to the College of the Holy Cross, which when added to his previous gifts in 1994 and 2001, brings his total lifetime giving to more than $2 million. His generosity has earned him membership in the “Cornerstone Society,” a select group of individuals who have each given in excess of $1 million to Holy Cross.

White and his wife, Eileen, are residents of Holden. He is a charter member of the President’s Council and a lifetime member of the Benefactor’s Circle. Both George and Eileen White are active participants in the 1843 Society (a group of alumni who support the College through their estate plans).

White, a Certified Public Accountant who practiced public accounting for 42 years, has lent his fiscal acumen to Holy Cross over the years as a member of numerous committees. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University in 1941. He taught accounting at Holy Cross in 1977.

“George J. White continues to be a remarkably devoted Holy Cross alumnus, benefactor and class chair," says Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of the College. “His generous contributions and tireless work for the college over the years have helped to further the mission of the College in many ways. This latest gift is additional testament to his dedication to, and love for, his alma mater."

White has been actively involved with the Holy Cross Club of Worcester since his graduation and served many terms on the Club’s board of directors. In addition, he has been a class agent for more than 40 years and, since 1989, has served as the chairman of his class. In 1998, White received the In Hoc Signo Award, the General Alumni Association’s highest honor.

A loyal and generous alumnus of the College, White established The George J. White Memorial Scholarship Fund, a scholarship enabling qualified students from Worcester to attend Holy Cross, in 1994, and The George J. and Eileen F. White Professorship in Accounting, in 2001. In recognition of his 2001 gift, the College named the religious studies conference room in Smith Hall in his honor.