James White ’39, Ph.D. ’44, first set foot in Stocking Hall when he arrived on campus as a freshman in 1934 to study bacteriology. As faculty member in the former Department of Dairy Industry, he enriched the building with his expertise in milk safety and dairy engineering—and enlivened it with his flair for storytelling—until his retirement in 1972. A gift from Jay ’71, MEN ’72, and Julie Carter, HumEc ’71, that names a conference room for him ensures that his legacy will be honored in the newly renovated Stocking Hall. According to the Carters, who met White through his late daughter Debbie Pavelka, the gift is an expression of gratitude for the privilege and good fortune of decades of knowing him. The room was dedicated in a July ceremony, where White was hailed as a “visionary who has always been ahead of his time,” a passionate advocate for the environment, and the consummate Cornellian.
