Dr. Russell Denny White

Dr. Russell Denny White, 72, of Aurora, passed away March 30, 2020, at the Mt. Vernon Place Care Center. White, who practiced medicine for 45 years, was born Sept. 28, 1947, in Maryville, to the late Arch and Kathryn (Weedin) White.
White was a 1965 graduate of Craig R3 High School in Craig and a 1974 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. He was a family practice physician and advanced his medical education in the specialty of sports medicine. He began his medical practice in Aurora, later moving to Tampa Bay, Fla., where he was founder and director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg. He served as the original team physician with the Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Team from 1997 to 2005. When he moved to the Kansas City area, he was the director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship Program and Medical Director of the Sports Medicine Center at the UMKC School of Medicine. In 2012 and 2013, he could often be seen on the sidelines of the Kansas City Chiefs as a team physician. He also served as a crew chief for the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2004.
A prolific medical writer who published more than 100 articles, he was co-editor of the textbook, Exercise Testing for Primary Care and Sports Medicine Physicians. Dr. White traveled the country speaking not only about sports medicine and cardiovascular disease but also about diabetes; he himself was a type 1 diabetic. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Missouri Medical Center Alumni Association in 2014.
White is survived by: his wife of 50 years, Dara Ann (Haer) White of Aurora; brothers, Wayne (Diana) White of Mound City and Tim White of Maryville; brother-in-law, Mike (Debbie) Haer of Richardson, Texas; two nieces; three nephews; and several great-nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home in Aurora. Memorials may be made to the Alumni Scholarship, Craig R3 School, or to the Russell and Dara White Scholarship Endowment at the University of Missouri School of Medicine Scholarships, which emphasizes support of medical students from rural Missouri. Online condolences may be shared at www.CraftonCantrellFuneralHome.com.