Got a Secret. Management of Springs Cotton Mills Springs' profligate life changed in 1931 when his father died and he took over running the family textile firm. Though the firm was heavily mortgaged, Springs saved the company while, among other things, slashing his own salary. Springs even put a loom in his basement to try out new ideas. Because of his actions, the family firm made it through the Great Depression which saw many of his competitors close. Return to service In 1941, Springs returned to his nation's service in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Later years and death Springs continued to run Springs Cotton Mills until shortly before his death. He died of pancreatic cancer. His home, known as the William Elliott White House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. See also List of World War I flying aces from the United States References Bibliography Davis, Burke. War Bird: The Life and Times of Elliott White Springs. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987. Letters from a War Bird: The World War I Correspondence of Elliott White Springs. Edited by David K. Vaughan. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2012. External links South Carolina Business Hall of Fame profile Foundation for New Media - Elliott White Springs White Homestead and Store - Fort Mill, S.C. 1896 births 1959 deaths People from Lancaster, South Carolina Princeton University alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers American World War I flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Textile companies of the United States Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Fort Mill, South Carolina Culver Academies alumni United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I