He was 70.
White, who was born in Crown Point, founded hotel property management company White Lodging in 1985. His relationship with Marriott began in 1990 when he built and opened the first Fairfield Inn franchise in Merrillville. From there, the imprint of White's hotels expanded rapidly.Mike Wells, president of REI Real Estate Services, met White in their fraternity Beta Theta Pi at Purdue in 1972. They remained friends for over 50 years and business associates for about 25.
The two friends worked on over 50 hotels together across the country, Wells estimated. Wells said that White, a lifelong Hoosier, kept old friends close for his whole life, and always stayed true to his roots. White left an imprint on the downtown Indianapolis skyline with one of his best-known hotels, the JW Marriott.