Name:
Hubert Carman White 
Location served:
Chatham  
Years in Practice:
1962 to 2007
Area of Specialization:
General Surgery  

Biography:

Dr. Hubert Carman White was born in Chatham, Ontario on the 6th of June, 1932.  Dr. White was the youngest of 2 sons born to Dr. Charles Carman White and the former Margaret “Iniz” Roach.  His older brother was named Gordon Stuart White.  Dr. White attended Chatham’s Central School from 1937-1945, and the Chatham Collegiate Institute from 1945-1946.  He also attended Ridley College in St. Catharines, graduating in 1950.

Dr. White graduated from The University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine in 1956.  While at university he participated in a number of athletic interests, including football, squash and swimming.

Dr. White married Helen Mary Jane Grothier on the 16th of June, 1956 in Woodstock, Ontario.  Mrs. White was the daughter of Wilmer Gerald Grothier and the former Helen Walker Wright.  Her father was an accountant in a bank, eventually becoming a bank manager.  Mrs. White’s mother died when she was an infant. Her parents lost 2 daughters who were born and died on the same day, one in 1924 and one in 1926.  Mrs. White had an older sister named Margaret “Peggy” Grothier.   According to the 1931 census, the Grothier family resided at 169 Marion Street in Toronto.  Her father eventually remarried.  Mrs. White was a graduate of the Toronto General Hospital School of Nursing.

The following year, Dr. White completed an internship at St. Vincent’s Hospital, in Toledo, Ohio.  From 1957 to 1960, Dr. White was a surgical resident at St. Vincent’s Hospital and from 1960-1962, he was the Senior Administrative Resident at Maumee Valley Hospital, in Toledo.   Dr. White obtained his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1962 and in 1963 he was named a Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery.

In 1962, Dr. White began a general surgical practice in Chatham. His first office was located at 24 Third Street which is now the location of the Chatham-Kent Police Headquarters.   Dr. White shared a medical office building located at 24 Third Street, with Dr. Charles D. Keeley, Dr. William J. Reid, Dr. Gary W. Asher, and Dr. George E. S. Beattie.  Later, Dr. White moved into a private office on Thames Street. Dr. White was Chief of Staff at the Public General Hospital from 1985-1990 and he served on the Board of Governors at St. Clair College.  Dr. White was a Board Member of the Howard J. Rees Foundation.

Tragically his parents were involved in a motor vehicle collision near Chatham on the 5th of May, 1963.  His mother died at the scene and his father succumbed to his injuries on the 15th of May.  They were buried at Maple Leaf Cemetery.

Dr. White received the Glenn Sawyer Award in 1996. This award is presented by the Ontario Medical Association to physicians who have greatly contributed to their community and to the medical profession.

In his spare time, Dr. White enjoyed working outside: riding the tractor, planting trees and cutting grass. He also enjoyed playing golf and he was a member of The Granite Club.

Dr. White remained active as a general surgeon until February 2007.  He died on the 30th of March, 2007.   He was buried at Maple Leaf Cemetery.  Dr. White was survived by his wife Sue and three sons; Scott, Christopher and Timothy and four grand-daughters; Maddie, Nickie, Grace and Hannah.

Mrs. Penny Susanne “Sue” (Peters) White was the only child of Gerald Peters and the former Penny Penzer.  She was born on the 3rd of December, 1944 and grew up on Wilson Street in Chatham. She was a registered nurse, who completed her education by obtaining her B.ScN and her Masters of Science in nursing.  For many years she worked at the Public General Hospital and taught nursing.  She married Dr. White in 1979 and she enjoyed spending time with her sons and grand-daughters and working on the farm “Jadestone Acres” with her husband.

Mrs. White died in Windsor on the 8th of April 2016.  She was buried beside Dr. White at Maple Leaf Cemetery.

*Dr. White’s father Dr. Charles Carman White, Dr. Charles Douglas Keeley, Dr. William James Reid, Dr. Gary Wayne Asher and Dr. George Edwin Schram Beattie are also featured on the Chatham-Kent Physician Tribute website.