Carolina fans everywhere are mourning the Wednesday passing of Emily Sue Dawson White, longtime administrative assistant to the athletic director and a dedicated Gamecocks fan. White was 78 years old.
A USC alumna, White came to work for the South Carolina Athletic Department in January 1967 under then-athletics director Paul Dietzel, who coached the Gamecocks football team from 1966 to 1974. Through her retirement in 2012, White worked with eight USC athletic directors in a career spanning five decades and seven national titles in three sports.
In June 2012, the South Carolina State Senate adopted a resolution commending White for “forty‑five years of outstanding and selfless service to the University of South Carolina Athletics Department and for her undying devotion to Gamecock sports.”
Outside the office, White was a passionate supporter of Gamecock athletics and was named the 2010-11 Fan of the Year by the Lexington County Gamecock Club. She was preceded in death by Owens Lamar White, her husband of nearly 45 years.
“Emily loved the Gamecocks and displayed her devotion and support to Gamecock sports for many, many years,” athletics director Ray Tanner told The State last week. “She was the backbone of the department and will be missed greatly by everyone whose lives she touched.”
White’s funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Mount Tabor Lutheran Church in West Columbia.