Philip William "Phil" White Jr. of Slidell died on October 16, 2016, at the age of 89. Interment, with military honors, was in the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery.
A native of Washington, D.C., White left an indelible mark on the Slidell community, not only as editor of the Slidell Sentry News for many years but also as a founder and promoter of the Slidell Little Theater. He was well known in the area for his portrayal of Mark Twain.
White served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater, and after his military service, he moved to Kansas and began working for the Boeing Company, a career that lasted 22 years. He came to Slidell in 1963 as an employee of the Boeing Co. after being transferred from Witchita, Kansas.
In the early 1970's he took pictures and sold ads for the St. Tammany Farmer newspaper, and he later sold ads for Crown Publishing's Slidell magazine Accolades. White also served as a judge for the Playmaker's annual Alvin Awards. According to his obituary, after retiring from the Sentry News he began writing for the Times Picayune newspaper.
His work with the Slidell Little Theater is legendary, and in 2011 he received the President's Arts Award for Performing Artist of the Year, an honor coordinated by the St. Tammany Committee on Cultural Affairs.
After retiring from the Sentry he began writing for the Times Picayune as a columnist and contributing writer for the newspaper's community news section. He won numerous awards from the Louisiana Press Association.
Longtime friend John Perkins stated on his obituary legacy page that "Both Gilda and I were saddened by the untimely death of a good friend. We had worked beside Phil at both the newspaper, where he was the editor, and at Slidell Little Theatre where we collaborated on a number of projects over the years."
George Phillips commented that during his long and distinguished career, Phil White was a great friend of the Slidell Police Department, where he volunteered as a Juvenile Reserve Police Officer.
According to a published account of his career, White was probably best known for his work in theater. He was a founding member of Slidell Little Theatre, which named him a life member. That theater also recognized his work as a director, actor, set designer and poster designer with numerous awards. He directed or acted in more than 50 productions and also appeared in films and television commercials.
His obituary also noted that White was known throughout the New Orleans area and elsewhere for his portrayal of Twain and was also a frequent speaker at regional celebrity roasts, often appearing in the guise of "Father Guido Sarducci."
Allen Little, a Slidell Little Theatre board member, was quoted by Sara Pagones in the Advocate newspaper as saying that White was an excellent director who was professional but also kept things fun. "He was always a pleasure to work with," Little said. "He was very dedicated to theater." While White took the stage in several dramatic roles, he was best known for his comedic turns and was sought after as an emcee, according to the article by Pagones.
His wife, Joyce Davis White, died a few months after he passed away.
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