J. Coleman White
Biography
J. C. White was born in Ft. Dodge, Iowa, on August 27, 1923. His earliest experiences were rooted in the power field , his father being at that time a superintendent in the local power company. He grew up in La Porte, Indiana, and developed a life-long interest in music and boy scouting. He entered Cornell University in 1941, but left to join the Army Air Corps in 1943, where he became a B29 radar officer. Following the war, he returned to Cornell and received his BEE degree in 194 7.
Following graduation, Mr. White joined the General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York, where he commenced a 29-year career in the motor and generator business. He taught several company courses in engineering and computer applications, and served as an adjunct professor for M.I.T.
In the mid-1950's, when digital computers began to become available to industry, Mr. While applied himself to learning and understanding the complexities of this new tool. His principal contribution to the art was the very early application of computers to the design of salient pole synchronous, induction, and direct current machines.
At General Electric, Mr. White became responsible at various times for all advanced engineering activities for hydroelectric equipment, for product design engineering for industrial synchronous and induction machines, and for the complete engineering and quality control for large direct current machines. He was responsible for the development of a new insulation system for hydrogenerators, including its manufacturing implementation.
In 1979, Mr. White joined the Electric Power Research Institute, where was currently manager of the Plant Electrical Systems and Equipment Program, which sponsors advanced work on all electrical components and systems used in power plants.
Mr. While has been the past chairman of the Working Group on TIF, the Dictionary Subcommittee, and the Synchronous Machinery Subcommittee of IEEE. He served as Chairman of the Schenectady Section, AIEE, and was Chairman of the ANSI C50 Committee. He became a Fellow of the IEEE in 1975. He was married to the former Helen Meadows and resided in Sunnyvale, California.
