NIU to award honorary doctorate May 13 to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White

NIU will confer an honorary doctorate this spring to Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, whose nearly half-century in various elected offices are only part of a remarkable lifetime of public service.

White’s long résumé includes 33 years as a teacher and administrator in the Chicago Public Schools, military duty as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division and the Illinois National Guard and Reserve, seven years of professional baseball with the Chicago Cubs organization and, of course, the world-famous Jesse White Tumbling Team.

The secretary will receive his distinction during the Graduate School commencement, scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, May 13, at Huskie Stadium.

“NIU considers the awarding of honorary doctorates a privilege, and it is most certainly a privilege to recognize Secretary Jesse White in this way,” NIU President Dr. Lisa C. Freeman says.

“His legacy of selfless public service, his unwavering devotion to the people of Illinois, and his success at encouraging positive life outcomes for youth from marginalized communities, are unparalleled,” Freeman adds. “As he closes this long chapter of elected office, I know that Secretary White’s legacy will continue to inspire dedication to public service and commitment to advancing Illinois’ bright future.”

Jesse White
Jesse White

Under White’s more than two decades of leadership of the Secretary of State’s Office – the largest and most diverse of its kind in the country – Illinois has become a national leader in road safety through strengthening DUI laws, reforming the licensing process for truck operators and overhauling guidelines for teen drivers.

As a result of his initiatives since 1998, traffic fatalities have tumbled by 50% in terms of drunk-driving deaths and by 74% in terms of teen driving deaths.

He also is credited with significantly improving customers service by adopting new technology along with modernizing and streamlining operations that include licensing drivers; maintaining driver records; issuing state ID cards, vehicle license plates and titles; registering corporations; and administering the Organ/Tissue Donor Program.

Born in 1934 in downstate Alton, White in 1957 earned his bachelor’s degree from Alabama State College (now Alabama State University), where he was a two-sport athlete earning all-conference honors in baseball and basketball.

Returning home to Illinois, he founded the internationally known Jesse White Tumbling Team in 1959 to provide a positive alternative for children residing in public housing in and around Chicago.

Since its inception, more than 18,500 young men and women have performed with the team as White and other adults help to set them on a path to success while staying away from gangs, drugs, alcohol and smoking.

“Decades before sport-based youth development was a field, Secretary White was a pioneer in establishing this community-based program for youth growing up in the inner city of Chicago,” says Paul Wright, the Lane/Zimmerman Endowed Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education and an NIU Presidential Engagement Professor.

Paul Wright
Paul Wright

Wright, who nominated White for the honorary doctorate, calls him “a real-life Captain America.”

“I am a big Jesse White fan,” Wright says. “His impact, character, service and longevity are truly incredible.”

That “longevity” has made White the state’s longest-serving (and first Black) secretary of state – a record that has been growing daily since May 30, 2014, when he reached that distinction following landslide victories in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. He was elected to his sixth term in 2018.

White started his political career as an Illinois General Assembly legislator in 1976, serving the most culturally, economically and racially diverse district in the state. In 1992, he was elected to his first of two terms as Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

NIU is not alone in saluting White.

He is a member of the Illinois High School & College Driver Education Association Hall of Fame, the Chicago Public Basketball Leagues Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Alabama State University Sports Hall of Fame.

Jesse White
Jesse White

The Chicago Park District named its Jesse White Community Center and Field House in acknowledgement of his contributions to the community. The City of Chicago designated Division Street as Jesse White Way. Hazel Crest School District 152-1/2 is home to the Jesse C. White Learning Academy.

But NIU’s honorary doctorate is White’s first.

“Secretary White has announced that he will retire from public life in 2023 at the end of his current term,” Wright says. “This is a perfect opportunity for us at NIU to recognize and celebrate all that he has accomplished and given to Illinois.”

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