John Whiteman, 79, passed away May 30, 2019. He moved from Oregon to Arizona when his father, Jack, received the Caterpillar dealership for Arizona and founded Empire Southwest. John earned a BS in Sociology from ASU in 1963. He helped his father build heavy Empire Southwest into one of the largest private companies in Arizona, employing roughly 1,900 people statewide. John spent his entire career working for the company, including six years as CEO, before retiring in 2002.

In 1961, John’s father, Jack, established the Edna Rider Whiteman Foundation with the belief that business has a fundamental responsibility to the community. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the foundation invested primarily in the arts and higher education. ASU’s Whiteman Tennis Center, dedicated in 1976, was paid for mostly by Jack; the Sun Devil Club also donated funds for construction of the facility. The Edna Rider Whiteman Foundation later became the Whiteman Foundation. From that foundation, ASU received substantial gifts. Recipients included the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, the Cancer Research Institute and funding for distinguished professorships. 

John was a longtime member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Council, and a member of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy board. In 1999, he was awarded the James W. Creasman Award of Excellence.

At the turn of the century, the foundation’s emphasis shifted to early childhood development — creating awareness of the issues surrounding early childhood development and contributing to child welfare. John advocated for political change, especially in support of full-day kindergarten in Arizona. He also founded and funded a charter school, Educare, located in a lower-income, bilingual neighborhood of Phoenix. In addition, he was instrumental in establishing the Arizona Museum for Youth, now the i.d.e.a. Museum, in Mesa.

John was named Mesa’s man of the year a couple of years ago, which Mesa Mayor John Giles called ironic because he wasn’t a city resident. “But his impact was very much as a Mesa person,” Giles said. In addition to Whiteman’s charitable efforts, “His company was selling mining equipment all over the world, doing it from a Mesa address, and that contributed tremendously to our community.”

He served on various boards, including the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, the Phoenix Art Museum and the Arizona Community Foundation.

John is survived by his wife, Betty, five children, 16 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and a sister. There was a private service for John which was only open to the immediate family.  On Wednesday, June 12, 2019, a celebration of life was held for a somewhat larger contingent, although this had not been publicized in either the article in the Arizona Republic or in the obituary.

The Whiteman family requests donations be made to some of John’s favorite charities. These include Arizona Brainfood, which provides meals to children; Operation Underground Railroad, which combats human and sex trafficking; and Girl Scouts of America.

(Sources: Gary Krahenbuhl, Arizona Republic, asu.edu and other internet sites)