Although Millikin interim President, Patrick White, spends a lot of his time in the public eye, there’s still a great deal about him that remains unknown. If anyone looked online, they would be able to find where he grew up, how many kids he has and probably even when he and his wife were married, but there are some aspects of White’s life that can only be found right here in the Decaturian.

While many people say that their favorite food may be pizza, steak or tacos, White differs from the group by saying that his favorite food is, in fact, popcorn.

“If someone could figure out how to make popcorn full of protein I would be Arnold Schwarzenegger,” White said.

To say that White is a movie admirer would be an understatement. In fact, when his twin daughters were in third grade, they were asked to write about a holiday tradition their family practices. They wrote that on Thanksgiving their family would have their turkey dinner, put together a jigsaw puzzle then sit down and watch one of the Die Hard movies.

“We almost got in trouble for that!” White said.

When asked what his favorite movies are, White laughed and asked if he could give his top five, which included Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Professionals and Bringing Up Baby.  He has not seen the new version of The Great Gatsby, but since it’s his favorite book, he wants to see it when things settle down.

White is a school man at heart considering his favorite season is fall because it’s when school begins.

“Some people think that fall is sad, because it’s the start of the school year, but it’s the start of the beginning. So when I see the leaves change I know it’s time to change,” White said.

When asked about his childhood, White could only think of positive memories. White spent a lot of his time playing sports, including baseball, basketball, football and cross country. When he wasn’t at school or sports practices, he and his friends hung out in front of the court house and watched the cars go by.

Of course, as they grew older, White and his friends found other activities to entertain themselves. He and one of his friends began performing in coffee shops while they were in college. Many of the songs they performed were written by White himself. While he knew how to play guitar, he usually left the playing to his friend and would just sing.

Although White doesn’t have the time to play guitar, or many of the other things he loves, he is enjoying his time at Millikin and excited for what comes next. Not only that, but Millikin seems to be pretty excited to have him here.