John "Jack" H. White (born July 6, 1940) is an American sculptor, Fresco painter and photographer. Biography Early background Jack White was born in Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York. His parents, Rosa Brown and Oscar Cornelius White, were originally from Jamestown and McClellanville, South Carolina, respectively. Rosa and Oscar migrated from South Carolina and settled in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, where they raised five children: Jack, his three sisters, and one brother. Rosa was a housewife and Oscar was a general contractor. White attended P.S. 70, P.S. 83 and Junior High 35, graduating from Wingate High School in 1958. At age eight, White began sketching people on the street of his neighborhood and copying comic characters. He would spend afternoons after school and on the weekend sitting on his stoop diligently creating his own drawings. White purchased "how-to draw' books from art supply stores. His friends and family were impressed with his drawings. Seeing his interest in drawing, White's sister purchased him a paint set. White received support of his creativity from his father, while his mother, though supportive, hoped that he would pursue a 'real job' in architecture. White's mother felt that since his father was a builder, perhaps he could design buildings that his father would build. Other than a brief stint participating in track in the 100-yard dash, White had little interest in sports. He was very interested in math, drafting and geometry. In 1956, two nights per week, White was the youngest student at the Cartoons and Illustrators School, today, the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He was interviewed and then tested on his level of talent. White drew a portrait, a head, still life and an interior scene and was accepted. Military service After high school, White enlisted in the United States Army in 1959. White saw this as a means of visiting Europe's Art museums. Army recruiters promised that he could be stationed in Europe if he would join a combat group – the 28th Infantry, which was stationed in Neu Ulm, a town in Bavaria, (Germany), the location of Wiley barracks. After which, White was transferred to Augsburg and finally Munich, Germany. Because White's military service took place between the Korean and Vietnam wars, he never saw active combat, but was trained as a cannoneer, the soldier who serves and fires cannons. While stationed in