Farewell Bernie White

[drquigley]

It was just announced that Bernie White, the first African American to play for Georgetown, died today. I knew Bernie and am really saddened by this news. Bernie was much more than the first black bballer at GU. He was a true student athlete who wasn't afraid to remind you of that if all you wanted to talk to him about was basketball. At a time when GU was almost all white it was assumed that Bernie would be the black basketball messiah who would turn the program around. But he wasn't. He was a good person who played basketball and who came to Georgetown to get a good education. I ran into him briefly after graduation when I went for a new car loan and he was the loan officer at a local bank. It would be nice if others could use this thread to share memories of Bernie.

[DanMcQ]

www.hoyabasketball.com/players/alltime-w.htm

[hoya70hoops]

Bernie White - RIP. Bernie was a teammate and a good one. Looking at his stat line online, you might get the impression that his hoops career was a disappointment, or unfulfilling. But I don't think he felt this about his time at Georgetown. He was one of a bunch of players under the Magee administration who's ball style was completely unappreciated. So, he was one of those players who worked hard in practice and stayed glued to the end of the bench. At least in our era, those were the guys who kept the team loose, sane, human. I don't know if it works this way today when everybody is an AAU all-star - we played in a different era.

When Bernie graduated in 1969, Georgetown briefly reverted back to an even earlier, sad, tradition. Our 1970 team was the last all-white [no pun intended] Hoya team. I don't know if Bernie felt isolated or troubled by the racial situation at Georgetown. I do know that he was never 'uptight'. He had strong opinions about self, the world, and education. He liked me as a person, which is unusual to say given our diverse backgrounds and status on the team. We both enjoyed reading on road trips, and he would kid me about why I didn't upgrade from Louis L'Amour to something worthwhile.

Bernie was the only teammate that tried to counsel me about alcohol abuse. He observed it was killing my education if not my game. He took the time to speak up. I found this endearing, even though it was another 15 years before I saw this truth. Bernie treasured his Georgetown education and appreciated what was being offered in the classrooms. I hope he had some fond memories of Georgetown.

Charlie Adrion C'70

[EasyEd]

Charlie, thanks for that post.

[DFW HOYA]

Well said, thanks.

I met Mr. White just once, at the barbecue at Reunion 2009--his 40th, my 25th. His health was not good and he was helped along in a wheelchair, but his family was very proud of him and asked me if I knew that he was the first black basketball player at Georgetown. I did, but I suspect few others at the table understood the significance. If the timing was right, I probably would have asked him some questions about his days on the team, but he seemed a little tired on a warm afternoon and that was OK.

A brief meeting, but a memorable one.

[DanMcQ]

More on Bernie White on the front page.

[2ndRyan]

Charlie, Dr Q and DFW thanks for the memories. I came to the Hilltop in the fall of '71 so I missed Bernie although I certainly saw the end of the Magee era. A few years ago Sports illustrated had an article about the African American athletic pioneers of the late sixties and early seventies who integrated the SEC. I had my sons (now 20) read it. They Hear of Hershel Walker at Georgia and Bo at Auburn and think that was ancient history. The reality is that 40, certainly 45 years ago, many places were unwelcoming to African American students and athletes. Nice to see that Barry had a rich life after the air went out of the ball for him.

[tashoya]

Well before my time but I was very friendly with an alum that was class of 68 and the father of one of my roommates was class of 66. Great stories. Please keep them coming. I would love to have heard what Mr. White had to say about his own time on the Hilltop and his thoughts on the JT2 era. Most importantly, condolences to Mr. White's family. May he rest in peace.

[This Just In]

Mar 18, 2014 22:05:09 GMT -5 drquigley said:

It was just announced that Bernie White, the first African American to play for Georgetown, died today. I knew Bernie and am really saddened by this news. Bernie was much more than the first black bballer at GU. He was a true student athlete who wasn't afraid to remind you of that if all you wanted to talk to him about was basketball. At a time when GU was almost all white it was assumed that Bernie would be the black basketball messiah who would turn the program around. But he wasn't. He was a good person who played basketball and who came to Georgetown to get a good education. I ran into him briefly after graduation when I went for a new car loan and he was the loan officer at a local bank. It would be nice if others could use this thread to share memories of Bernie.

Thanks for creating this thread and to everyone else for posting comments and memories about Bernie White.