John White Loves Fixing Things What do the Peace Corps, Blade Runner and bagpipes have in common?
What is your official job title?
Help Desk and Shared Services Manager
How long have you worked at W&L?
15 years
What do you like best about working at W&L?
I love the collegial atmosphere here. I have been here for fifteen years and I have always been treated with respect and kindness by everyone. That has made me very loyal to this institution and the people here.
What advice do you have for students (or parents)?
Study abroad, do internships, take as many opportunities to have experiences outside the classroom as possible.
Where did you grow up?
Walled Lake Michigan
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I have been married for 20 years and we have two teenaged kids and a dog. Mostly, I just like to do dad stuff like gardening, tinkering and bagpiping. My ideal weekend doesn’t involve me leaving my yard.
I am also trying to learn the concertina because there are some things a bagpipe just can’t do.
I have been here for fifteen years and I have always been treated with respect and kindness by everyone.
If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
The coast of Oregon for my summer home and the mountains of Costa Rica for my winter home. My Dream home would be about 1200 square feet and solar powered.
What book are you reading now?
The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville and a Collection of Walt Whitman’s letters from his time volunteering in hospitals during the war.
What music are you listening to these days?
My current favorites are Treacherous Orchestra and Broom Bezzums.
Your favorite film (movie) of all time?
Either Blade Runner or Wings of Desire, I am a big fan of internal dialog I guess.
A website and/or blog you visit often?
Bob Dunsire’s Bagpipe Forums
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Elias Hicks
If you could have coffee with one person (living or deceased) who would it be and why?
My Dad. He was a good friend and fun person to be with. He was also a very wise man and most of the advice he gave me when he was alive I ended up taking. I’d really like to hear his perspective now that he is dead.
Tell me something most people don’t know about you?
That I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya and a social worker in Rockbridge County before I started my first IT job at Rockbridge Global Village. People were pretty surprised when I got my first IT certification, but they shouldn’t have been, I have always loved fixing things.
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