Robert M. White, 1924 - 2010
“The old Irishman went home at 11:55 last night.”
![MAJ-Robert-M.-White-USAF-exits-cockpit-of-North-American-Aviation-X-15.jpg](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/0OMiyPSU4OF_UY-GB1-bwpTKbig=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/19/88/1988766a-9c7c-45d8-9159-296cb74867a8/maj-robert-m-white-usaf-exits-cockpit-of-north-american-aviation-x-15.jpg)
Former World War II POW, Korean War veteran, and Air Force test pilot Bob White died on March 17, St. Patrick's Day. "The old Irishman went home at 11:55 last night," his son, Greg, wrote in an e-mail to relatives and friends this morning. Major General White retired from the Air Force in 1981 with a wealth of medals, decorations, trophies, and commendations. Pilot and amateur historian Al Hallonquist spoke with White about his 1962 record-setting X-15 flight, and wrote an "as told to" memoir, which appears in our May 2010 issue. Seeing his story in print, says Hallonquist, "meant so much to him."