by Hugh Stegman
Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2008 at 2:35 PM
Don White, PRESENTE!
I had only known Don white for about 4 years. I met him originally during my brief involvement with the ultimately successful struggle to reclaim Pacifica Radio.
My inexperience with L.A. activism, its political fault lines, its many hidden land mines, and its very self contained jargon guaranteed that my involvement with Pacifica would be short and unhappy. It wasn't anything to do with Pacifica culture, though that certainly gets pretty combative. It had everything to do with me. After that came to its inevitable traumatic end, Don White was probably the person that kept me from dropping out of political activism altogether. I don't think I ever told him that, and now I never will.
What really put me in awe was his level-headedness, and his ability to cut right to the chase. I'd watch him sit and listen to hours of turfing and political theory at meetings, then quietly come up with an idea that would have 90% of the people in the room immediately wondering why they didn't think of that. This is a talent and I'm not sure how we're going to replace it.
Don is definitely still in the house. Don White... PRESENTE!