A Tribute to Dr. David Allen White (1948-2025)

We are saddened to learn that Dr. David Allen White passed away yesterday, 2/11/2025

It can be hard to make sense of the Catholic faith today or put it into perspective. The world is full of error, confusion, and discord, and this can serve as a dark nebula hanging over one’s faith. I once had a priest tell me that these clouds were necessary to encounter in the spiritual life. They are practically omnipresent for any Catholic trying to make progress, but in order to see through the darkness, you need guides to serve as lights.

Dr. David Allen White was one of those lights.

I discovered Dr. White early in my introduction to tradition through his Shakespeare lectures. I have yet to find even secular sources that demonstrate such a firm and realistic grasp of those plays. Those tapes opened up a new world to me and created an obsession with the Bard that still remains. There have been numerous times when, in moments of crisis, I have returned to those tapes looking for wisdom—and nearly every time, I find it.

Those lectures were recorded somewhat haphazardly during his time lecturing at the SSPX Seminary, at the invitation of the late Bishop Williamson, or at various meetings and dinners. There are also a number of lectures from his tenure at the Naval Academy. I believe those Academy tapes give us a glimpse into what made Dr. White so effective at converting people—his ability to so masterfully tie the Catholic faith into the literature he taught without ever needing to explicitly mention it. It is difficult to fathom just how many people Dr. White managed to convert while teaching at the Naval Academy or through his recorded lectures, especially when we consider the impact of those he brought to the faith.

During my time at St. Mary’s College and later when I taught at St. Mary’s Academy, I was grateful to have been taught and guided by several students of Dr. White, who certainly carry his wisdom forward. I can say truthfully that if I have any real insight, I can credit the germ of those thoughts to Dr. White and his own students.

I rarely get nervous when speaking in front of people, but there was one notable exception—when I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. David Allen White in what now seems to have been his last public interview. Though it was through a computer screen, I can certainly say that I met one of my heroes. That conversation remains one of my greatest treasures, as we explored his conversion, his case for Shakespeare, and questions I had always wanted to ask him about the Bard. I encourage you to listen to that interview as no one could better explain his own story than the master of storytelling himself.

I also want to highlight two of his works that are often overlooked. First is his great contribution to Shakespeare A to Z, a wonderful guidebook to the Bard that should be a staple in any Shakespeare reader’s collection. Then there is the now rare and out-of-print Horn of the Unicorn, a biography of Archbishop Lefebvre—a work that should stand on par with even the late Bishop Tissier’s biography of the Archbishop.

The Traditionalist movement has lost a number of heroes in the past year, but this one strikes closest to my heart. I cannot possibly repay the knowledge and wisdom I received from this titan, but we can do our best by praying for him. I hope you will join me on February 13, 2025, at 6 PM ET to pray the Rosary for Dr. David Allen White.