Apr 20, 2012 |
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The memoir of a white-collar criminal who found himself housed in the last leper colony on mainland America has been chosen as the All Bonaventure Reads selection for St. Bonaventure University’s class of 2016.
Neil White’s “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts” chronicles his ambitious rise in the publishing industry, his fall to bank fraud, and his 18 months in a minimum-security prison in Carville, La. In the early ’90s when White’s bank account couldn’t keep up with his lavish lifestyle and expectations, he began kiting checks — moving money from one bank account to another — until the FBI discovered his scheme.
It was White’s first day at the federal prison when he discovered what he would later call an “unprecedented convergence of cultures at Carville,” federal inmates and prison guards thrown together with leprosy patients, public health workers and an ancient order of nuns.
Initially uneasy around the patients, many of whom were disfigured or disabled, White would develop strong relationships with them, leading to his own transformation. As White began to learn about the history of the patients with Hansen’s disease — some who had lived most of their lives in the colony along the Mississippi River — he was drawn to them and their stories.
“We shared a bond, a common experience. We were outcasts. … Living in their sanctuary, I rediscovered values I had ignored in my drive to succeed at all costs,” White said.
“Outcasts” will be distributed this summer at Orientation to first-year students, who will be encouraged to complete it prior to the start of school in the fall. Students will engage in conversations and activities throughout Welcome Days, University 101 courses and various campuswide events during the 2012-2013 academic year.
“‘In the Sanctuary of Outcasts’ is a thought-provoking and engaging memoir. I am eager — as we welcome our new students to St. Bonaventure’s sanctuary of education and growth — to learn students’ impressions of and reactions to the book’s myriad topics,” said Jean Trevarton Ehman, All Bonaventure Reads chair. “White’s Carville experiences are graced by Franciscan encounters, which further enhance the beauty of this ABR selection.”
During his incarceration at Carville, White became close with Father Reynolds, a Franciscan who was the first priest to leave the altar during the Eucharist and greet the patients. White described Father Reynolds as being “committed to bringing faith and compassion to the outcasts.”
Br. F. Edward Coughlin, O.F.M., vice president for Franciscan Mission at St. Bonaventure, believes the incoming students and university community alike will be intrigued by the Franciscan connections in “Outcasts.”
“The book raises some very important questions about personal character development and the development of the critical-ethical consciousness of young adults. In addition, the service of lepers and other ‘outcasts’ is an integral part of the Franciscan tradition,” said Br. Ed. “Reading the text will provide some unique opportunities to invite students into a critical conversation with the wisdom of the Franciscan intellectual-spiritual tradition and its contemporary relevance.”
White now lives in Oxford, Miss., where he operates a small publishing company, writes plays and essays, and teaches memoir writing.
Members of the 2012 All Bonaventure Reads Committee are Chris Brown, Nancy Casey, Abby Cohen, Eric Danielson, Beth Eberth, Jean Trevarton Ehman, Carol Fischer, Ann Lehman, Adriane Spencer, Ann Tenglund and students Chelsey Bowen, Madeleine Gionet, Andrew Liuzzo, Francis Matuszak, Kristin Morse and Amanda Rossney-Koneski.
Events scheduled in connection with the All Bonaventure Reads program will be posted on www.sbu.edu/allbonaventurereads as they are finalized.
More information about “Outcasts” and the author, as well as photos and videos, are available at
www.neilwhite.com.
About the University: Inspired for more than 150 years by the Catholic Franciscan values of individual dignity, community inclusiveness, and service, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them