John "Jack" H. White (July 6, 1940 – 2017) is an American artist known for his work as a sculptor, fresco painter and photographer.
Although he was widely exhibited as a sculptor, his experimentation in plaster, paint and the traditional medium of fresco has also afforded him the signature label of painter.
"[1] Jack White was born in Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York.
His parents, Rosa Brown and Oscar Cornelius White, were originally from Jamestown and McClellanville, South Carolina, respectively.
Rosa and Oscar migrated from South Carolina and settled in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, where they raised five children: Jack, his three sisters, and one brother.
At age eight, White began sketching people on the street of his neighborhood and copying comic characters.
When White would be on 'leave', a friend would join him in renting an apartment in Schwabing, a bohemian section of Munich, Germany.
White and his friend rented an apartment as they wanted to immerse themselves in the society, never wearing their Army uniform.
Also, White knew that to flaunt their Army status might attract those Germans who did not take kindly to the military.
White encountered racial situations while in Germany, "An officer, who was from the American south would often call me 'boy' instead of 'Private'.
"In 1959, when I was in basic training at Fort Jaffey, Arkansas, a buddy and I, while wearing our uniforms, went to an ice cream parlor off base.
Godfrey, an English Canadian woodcarver, in his early 20s had a huge impact, as he taught White how to carve wood.
Because of drugs, White was arrested by the police because he banged loudly on the cathedral doors of the, "Alte Villa", (old town), on Christmas morning because it was locked.
Finally, the American consulate contacted my parents and I was placed on a boat and shipped back to New York.
When the boat reached the New York City port, White was taken to the Staten Island Veterans Administration Hospital.
"He never tried to lead his students to any one style; just showing us how to get what you wanted from any material you chose to work with", expressed White.
He continued to visit galleries, museums, while working part-time at Double Day Bookstore in the stock room.