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Family and friends bid farewell to legendary federal bankruptcy court judge
SHERRY KARABIN
Special to the Legal News
Published: August 26, 2014
He presided over the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio for decades and as family and friends look back on the life of Judge Harold F. White, the verdict is in, he had a positive impact on both the court and their lives.
“Judge White was an institution,” said Harold A. Corzin, a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee and a partner at Corzin, Sanislo & Ufholz.
“In my mind, there will never be anyone like him. He was instrumental in so many changes in the court,” said Corzin, who first met Judge White in 1976.
“One thing that I admired about my father was his concern for the individual debtor,” said Frances James, one of Judge White’s three children. “He had so much empathy for the individual debtor and he always treated the person with such respect. I think it was because of his background. He grew up during the Great Depression and witnessed so much devastation when he served in the Army during World War II.”
Born in Hartford, Connecticut on April 29, 1920, Judge White passed away on Aug. 5, 2014 at the age of 94.
Judge White spent his younger years with his grandparents in Vermont, where he attended a one-room school. At age 14, he moved back to Connecticut, graduating from Harding High School in Bridgeport, where he was a member of the championship rifle team and earned a letter in cross-country track.
His passion for running never waned. Judge White was one of the founders of the Summit Athletic Club and later received the Andy Palich Award from the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame due to his life-long promotion of running.
“Judge White always took very good care of himself,” recalled Marc Gertz, a partner at Goldman & Rosen. “He was a runner and a bit of a health nut long before it became fashionable.”
While attending Ohio University, Judge White enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in the European Theatre during World War II. He served as a First Lieutenant in the 1252nd Combat Engineer Battalion, receiving a Purple Heart and four battle stars. He never left the army entirely. He spent 28 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring as a Lt. Colonel.
“My father witnessed the devastation from the bombing in Dresden, Germany and it really affected him,” said James. “He was also involved in the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp.”
James said her father worked as an accountant at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, while attending The University of Akron School of Law at night.
After passing the bar, James said her father went into private practice in Akron for a short period of time. He also served as a city of Akron and Summit County prosecutor.
On May 1, 1958, he was appointed to the federal bankruptcy court as referee and later judge. As chief of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Akron, Judge White handled thousands of cases involving both major businesses and everyday people. When he retired from active status in December 1993, he had 35 years of service under his belt, making him the senior bankruptcy judge in the nation at the time. He then spent several years as a recall judge.
“Judge White was an outstanding jurist and an even better person,” said Gertz, a bankruptcy trustee since 1978. “He ran his court with alacrity and efficiency. There was no case too big or difficult for him to handle. He was my mentor and I learned a lot about bankruptcy law from him,” said Gertz. “Those like myself who practiced in front of him will miss him greatly.”
“He was such a gentleman,” said Corzin. “He treated everyone who appeared before him with diplomacy and respect.”
Corzin said the two became friends and back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, he and other attorneys would join Judge White on Friday evenings for a drink.
“He never had more than one drink and always put a shiny new dime on the table as a tip on the way out.”
Retired U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge James H. Williams, who served in Canton, said he had a close relationship with Judge White. “He was already serving when I was appointed in 1972. We worked together to try and make things uniform between our courts. I adopted many of the procedures he used in Akron and when problems would arise, I would often consult him on how best to handle the situation.
“Judge White was a very strong person,” said former Judge Williams. “He was very demanding of those who appeared before him and ran a no nonsense court. I don’t think I’ve ever known a more honest individual though. He was always quick to help out if someone needed help.”
Beyond a business relationship, he said the two were friends, spending time at one another’s family gatherings.
Together they created the White-Williams Bankruptcy Institute, which Williams called one of the biggest profit making continuing legal education programs in the Stark County and Akron bar associations.
“At the time, there was a strong need for educational opportunities for lawyers who practiced before the bankruptcy court and this is what grew out of it,” said the former judge. The 18th annual event took place in Hartville on April 11, 2014. “I think attendance was around 200,” he said.
Marilyn Shea-Stonum took over as U.S. bankruptcy court judge in 1994 after Judge White retired.
“I used to say I was his alleged successor since he had been a force in Akron for so long,” said retired Judge Shea-Stonum. “Judge White had a marvelous sense of humor and was incredibly generous despite being teased about being tight fisted.”
As bankruptcy judge, she said Judge White commanded the respect of everyone, handling some of the toughest and most noteworthy cases ever, including the Revco Drugstore bankruptcy filing.
“Back in the ‘80s there were a lot of leveraged buyouts and Revco was the first major leveraged buyout entity to file Chapter 11,” said former Judge Shea-Stonum. “Judge White had to deal with all of the issues that resulted from that business model in a bankruptcy setting for the first time. Bankruptcy judges often need to sort out how to apply bankruptcy code to circumstances that didn't exist when the code was drafted. Revco required that this be done on a huge variety of such questions and his resolution of those issues earned him nationwide respect.”
She said at least half of the currently practicing Akron bankruptcy bar “cut their teeth” before Judge White. “Because of his influence, their practicality and compassion were enhanced.
“One thing he always insisted upon in Chapter 7 cases was that at least half of the money go to the creditors. We came to call it the HF White rule and I always followed it.”
After Judge White retired as a recalled judge, he continued to mediate cases for Judge Shea-Stonum.
“He did that until about two-and-a-half years ago. This was very helpful to me,” she said. “It aided the practitioners too since Judge White had a very good record as a mediator and was able to settle a lot of cases that should have been settled but might not have been if not for him.
“I loved having him as a colleague. I learned so much from our discussions. He always welcomed discussing multi-faceted issues,” she said, adding that he had “an innate respect for the professional abilities of women.”
She said once the couple’s children were in school, Judge White’s wife, E. Jeannette Murie White, went back to college to finish her degree, and Judge White took over the shopping and a lot of the cooking. “ He always used coupons so he got a reputation for being thrifty,” she said.
His wife later taught accounting and business education at East High School.
“They were an amazing couple,” said former Judge Shea-Stonum. “Their marriage was a life-long love affair. He never expected to outlive her and he so wanted to be reunited with her.”
In addition to the courts, Judge White used his talents to teach as an adjunct professor at The University of Akron School of Law and as a lecturer, panelist and organizer of seminars. In 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from The University of Akron. He also received Distinguished Alumni Awards from Ohio University and The University of Akron.
His love of education was demonstrated by the scholarships he and his wife established for those at both The University of Akron and Ohio University, including the Judge Harold and Jeannette White Scholarship Fund at The University of Akron School of Law, the Edna C. Berry RN Scholarship Fund (in memory of Jeannette’s aunt, Edna Berry) and the Laura Murie Leafgren Nursing Scholarship (in honor of Jeannette’s sister, Laura), both available to nursing students at The University of Akron. They also created the Harold and Jeannette White Scholarship in Forensics and The Harold F. White Scholarship in Business at Ohio University.
“My parents met at Ohio University,” said James. “They both had to work their way through college. My father was able to complete his education due to the GI Bill.
“My mother taught 19 years at East High School and last year my father established the Jeannette White Memorial Scholarship for an East High School graduate.”
Judge White also made it a point to volunteer his time with organizations like the Kidney Foundation, United Way, Haven of Rest, and the Interfaith Legal Services pro bono clinic in Summit County. He is among the select few to be honored with the St. Thomas More Award, which he received in 2004.
“He certainly provided a good example for his children,” said James. “He was always there when we needed advice. When my brother was growing up, my dad was active in the Boy Scouts and was a Little League coach.”
“We all admired his vitality, commitment to his profession, sense of fairness and generosity, and his belief in education,” said his daughter, Dr. Susan White Braunstein. “I remember when I was in grade school, one evening a week my dad would take me to the library. It was just the two of us; it was our special time.”
A memorial service was held on Aug. 16 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Akron. Judge White is survived by his half sister, Renee Strainge, children, Frances James (William, deceased), Dr. Harold A. White, and Dr. Susan White Braunstein (Dr. Ethan Braunstein), as well as three grandchildren, Andrew, Ethan, and James White. Judge White’s wife, E. Jeannette Murie White, passed away in 2008. They were married for 65 years.