Jim attended Stanford University for one year. He transferred to the University of Washington where he majored in engineering. Upon graduation in 1955, he took a job with Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge Department in St. Paul Minn. He had relatives that lived in Northfield, MN. and he was a regular weekend visitor. It was in Northfield that he purchased his first automobile and continued his relationship with the dealership throughout his lifetime.
In 1956, he entered the Air Force and was stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was trained in Cheyenne, WY to be a supply officer which he continued during his duty in the Air Force. Jim took flying lessons getting his pilot’s license for small planes and played tennis and golf in his spare time. He married Margaret (Marge) Karkow and after leaving the Air Force, he was hired on by Skilling, Helle Structural Engineers. Skilling sent him to Birmingham, Michigan as a resident engineer in the Minuro Yamasaki office. After years in Michigan, Jim was transferred to the New York City office to work as a structural engineer on the World Trade Center Project. Jim attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, getting a Master’s of Science in Civil Engineering in 1959. Over the next 25 years he traveled around the world working on buildings from the Bank of China in Hong Kong, to the Meadowlands Stadium, Oberlin School of Music, the Conservatory at Carlton College, along with many other major projects. Jim and Marge raised their two sons, John and Walter in Connecticut. He was a dedicated father who enjoyed family time outside of his long hours at the office in Manhattan, making time to coach the boy’s baseball teams and taking boating trips on Long Island Sound. After supporting her through a long illness, Marge passed away in 1995.
Jim ran the Mobile Crane Company for twenty-two years after taking over the company from his ailing father in 1993. Although Jim closed Mobile Crane in 2015, he was still involved in the crane business, maintaining connections with former clients and co-workers as he valued those relationships and was in touch with them right up to the end. Jim loved engineering, whether cranes or cars and his worldwide contacts were a conduit of information. He and Colleen were in Germany just this past November visiting clients, discussing cranes, and touring Mercedes and the AMG factories.
Jim remained active as a member of the Seattle Yacht Club, chairing the Men’s book Group and served on several other committees. He was also involved in University Sunrise Rotary Club, the Seattle Tennis Club, a long-standing University of Washington Tyee Member and a member of the United States Power Squadron.
A private family Burial will take place at Crown Hill Cemetery in Seattle and a Celebration of Life will be held at the Seattle Yacht Club on Sunday, March 31 at 1pm.
The family has requested lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Hospice of the Valley, Eckstein Center 9808 N 95th St Scottsdale, AZ 85258, the University Coop School 5601 University Way NE Seattle 98105 or a charity of your choice
Published in The Seattle Times from Feb. 24 to March 10, 2019 https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=elmer-james-white-jr&pid=191648296
