William John White Jr. “Johnny” White was born in 1918 and attended the Unionville Schools where he played baseball mainly as a pitcher. He also played for the Jacob’s Mushroom Cannery team and later as a left-handed pitcher for the semi-pro Kingsport Cherokees. His professional baseball career ended when he was needed at the family farm but he did play in the Kennett Adult League and a some Old Timer’s games.

In 1946, Johnny went work for the Mather family’s Brandywine Meadow Farm and the Brandywine Hounds. In 1948 he was named whipper-in for the foxhunt and thus started a career that lasted fifty years. He started hunting the hounds a few years after that when Gilbert Mather could not be there.

Gilbert Mather died in 1959 and Johnny became the full time huntsman for the Brandywine Hounds. When Brandywine Meadows Farm was sold the kennels for the hounds was moved to Johnny’s farm and without him the hunt may not have survived.

Johnny prepared for his Old Timer’s baseball appearances by winding up and throwing rocks while walking back and forth from the kennels.

Johnny is one the most respected huntsman of all time and was inducted into the Huntsman’s Hall of Fame in 2015. He passed away in 1996.