Colonel White was the first Chair of the IRE Florida West Coast Section Chartered in 1956. Before coming to Tampa he had retired from the Federal Civil Service in Washington DC., in the spring of 1956. He served during both World Wars. He was recalled to active duty in 1941. During W.W.II he rose to the rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force.

He had been active with the Washington DC Section of the IRE and in coming to Tampa he took the lead in organizing the new section. At that time the closest section was in Miami.

His Fellow bio reads: (note he was a fellow of both the AIEE and IRE).

WHITE, EDWIN LEE, AIEE Fellow 1947, IRE Fellow 1955. Born: July 5, 1896, Valley City, ND. Degrees: A.B., 1922, M.S., 1925, George Washington University. IRE Fellow Award: "For his leadership in advancing the use of radio in the interest of safety and efficiency in industry." No citations were given to Fellows by the AIEE prior to 1952.

Other IEEE Awards: 

IEEE Centennial Medal, 1984. 

Other Awards: 
Bronze Star, 1943
Presidential Unit Citation, 1944
China-Burma-India Theater Citation, 1944
Alumni Service Award, George Washington University, 1973

Colonel White is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, next to Frank White, Colonel, United States Army, who is presumably his father.

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