Dorothy K. White and Radio Letters for Soldiers

Dorothy K. White ca. 1910s

Dorothy K. White During Her Film Career ca. 1920s

Dorothy K. White is known as a silent film actress that starred in famous Hollywood films in the 1920s. However, no individual is simply one thing. White influenced many people and areas in her lifetime. In particular, she is known for her civic work and contributions to the local community in Dayton.

White was born in New Lebanon, Ohio in 1882 and died on May 29th 1976. In her lifetime, she married three times to Charles Wagner, James Merrill, and Captain R. Warren White successively. However, most of her time between the years of 1915 and 1926 was devoted to singing and acting. In that period, she played parts in twenty films created in Hollywood and New York. Her first movie appearance was in 1915 in the wedding scene of a film entitled, “The Chattel.” By 1917, she had a larger role in the film “The Law of Compensation,” which starred the actress Evelyn Nesbit. White vividly remembered acting in the George Cohen film, “45 Minutes of Broadway,” and how Cohen had picked her to be his dance partner. She believed that the scene would help to catapult her career and that she would soon become famous. However, at the film’s premiere, White discovered that the scene had been cut.

Her film career ended in 1926 when she married her third husband, R. Warren White. After that time, she dedicated herself to helping her family and community in any way possible. When her brother, Milton Kepler, became sick, she cared for his children until 1943 before moving back to Dayton once again. There she became known for helping anyone who asked, as long as she had time. She sang in many church choirs and devoted herself to many charitable causes. After World War II, White worked to reunite families with their relatives serving overseas through the use of radio programs. Beginning in 1948 and continuing through 1957, White had families come to three local radio stations in Dayton, Springfield, and Middletown to record letters to their relatives. Then, the soldier related to that family would be instructed to listen for his family’s “letter” as it was broadcast from Quito, Ecuador. White, throughout her career and life, used her films, voice, and charitable efforts to bring joy to many families and her local community.

Works Cited
[Dorothy White Photo, 1920s, Box 1, Folder 5], MS-31, Dorothy K. White Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

[“Dottie White’s Story Proves Flashback to Silent Films,” 1949, Box 1, Folder 3], MS-31, Dorothy K. White Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

[“Years Kind to One Who Serves,” October 11, 1957, Box 1, Folder 3], MS-31, Dorothy K. White Papers, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.