James Thomas White's Obituary
WHITE, JAMES THOMAS Born February 7, 1938 in Huntsville, MS to the late James Dibrell White and Mildred Dowd White passed away January 22, 2012 in Plano, TX. Thomas married Barbara Oliver in Winona, MS on September 13, 1959. After graduating from Mississippi State University in Civil Engineering in 1961, he went to work for Texas Eastern Transmission Company, as a pipeline design engineer, in Shreveport, LA. He later went to work for Williams Pressure Service overseeing hydrostatic pipeline testing. While still living in Shreveport he went to work for Cap-Con International, Inc. as Vice President of Estimating and Construction. Mr. White traveled internationally throughout his life overseeing construction projects throughout the world. In 1977, along with his family, he moved to Bagdad, Iraq, and served as Project Manager for Banister-Price Construction Co., overseeing the construction of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. He then served as Executive Vice President for Banister Construction, International in London, England and then on to Denver, CO. In 1981 he joined H.C. Price Construction Co., in Irving, TX where he served as President and COO. In 2009, H.C. Price Construction Co. and Gregory-Cook Construction Co. merged to form Price-Gregory International, Inc., where he served as President until his death. Mr. White founded the James T. White Chair of Civil Engineering at Mississippi State University. He was chosen as Mississippi State Engineering Alumnus of the year as well as Mississippi State Alumnus of the year. He served on the Mississippi State University Foundation Board and the Dean’s Advisory Board. He served as President of the Pipeline Contractors Association as well as a Board Member. He was a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a Board Member of the International Laborer’s Pension Fund, and a past member of the Elks Club in Shreveport, LA. Tom was a Member of the Moore Memorial Methodist Church in Winona, MS. Survived by his wife, Barbara Oliver White; sister, Joy Love of Madison, MS; children, Jim White (Laura) of Madison, MS, Pat White (Jill) of Kilmichael, MS, Holly White of Dallas, TX; and grandchildren, Keely White, Hollyn White, Kailan White, Trace White, Connor White, and John Colin White. Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00pm, Wednesday, January 25th at Restland Funeral Home. Services will be held 10:00am, Thursday, January 26th at Restland Memorial Chapel. Interment will be on Saturday, January 28th in Winona, MS at Oakwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to French Camp Academy in French Camp, MS or Moore Memorial United Methodist Church in Winona, MS.
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