"Charlene White loved life...that should be her legacy.  What began with a horrible act of violence should not memorialized by an act of vengeance.  Hate is a continuation, not an ending.   Tom, Christie and I say "Not in our names — our hearts have bled enough."

GEORGE W. WHITE                            ARKANSAS CITY, KANSAS

 PROFILE:

On February 27, 1985, the White family experienced first-hand the insanity and horror of murder.  George and his wife Charlene were shot repeatedly by an armed robber at his place of business in Enterprise, Alabama.  George held Charlene in his arms as her life slipped away.  Their children, Tom and Christie, were only 12 and 5 at the time. The nightmare had just begun.  Sixteen months later, George was charged with murdering his wife.  Following a capital murder trial that was later described as  "a mockery and a sham", George was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.  His conviction was overturned in 1989 and he was released from prison, but George remained in legal limbo until 1992,  when proof of his innocence was finally brought forward.  Following a brief hearing the trial court ordered the charge against him forevermore dismissed. The nightmare had lasted more than seven years...had the State of Alabama had its way, George White would be a dead man today.

Understanding fully how easy it is to become advocates for revenge, the White family, however, rejects  the death penalty as a solution and as way of healing the wounds of their loss.  George is a cofounder of the Journey of Hope...from violence to healing and  is a member and past board member of  Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation (MVFR)  A full time speaker and lecturer, he now lives in Arkansas City, Kansas.

Reprinted with permission from Not In Our Name: Murder Victims Families Speak Out Against the Death Penalty, a publication of Murder Victims Families For Reconciliation, Barbara Hood & Rachel King, Editors; MVFR

GEORGE WHITE  --  By Abe Bonowitz

ITALIAN ACADEMY FOR ADVANCED STUDIES IN AMERICAN STUDIES IN AMERICA AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

MEDIA ADVISORY:  February 1998

GEORGE AND HIS SON TOM AT THE 8TH ANNUAL FAST AND VIGIL IN WASHINGTON DC DURING THE
 STEVE EARLE CONCERT