Lawrence R. and Vera I. White Music Scholarship
Lawrence and Vera White both graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Trained as an organist, Vera continued her musical involvement in church and community throughout her life. Lawrence was appointed to the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1928, as a member of the percussion section. During World War II, he conducted the Army Special Service Orchestra under the command of General Douglas McArthur. Returning to his position as a percussion teacher at the New England Conservatory following the war, he continued as a member of the Boston Symphony.
A move to Evanston, IL in 1948 was necessitated by his appointment to the WGN Radio Symphony of the Air. During the family's residency in the Chicago area, he played in the Grant Park Symphony and the Lyric Opera Orchestra, and taught private percussion on the North Shore. He retired in 1980 and the family relocated to San Antonio. He counted among his proudest accomplishments the fact that his students could be found in orchestra percussion sections throughout the U.S.
Each year the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is proud to award the Lawrence R. and Vera I. White Music Scholarship to students studying percussion.