The owner of Blackburn Radio Inc. has died.
Richard Costley-White passed away Tuesday morning at his home, almost a year after being diagnosed with Central Nervous System Lymphoma.
He was 48-years-old.
The son of Peter G. White of Charlotte, North Carolina and the late Martha Blackburn, he is survived by his wife Caitlin, his sons, and his sisters Sarah and Annabelle.
Richard was a graduate of St. Andrews College and the Ivey School of Business at Western (2004). His business career began when he was asked to join the Board of Directors of the family holding company, Blackburn Group Inc. in January 1996, three and half years after the death of his mother, Martha.
As a Director, he was involved in the decision to dispose of the operating companies, including the London Free Press, in 1997.
Richard and Sandy Green purchased Blackburn Radio Inc. (BRI), the last group of operating business held by the Blackburn Group in May 2005. In 2007, he purchased the shares held by Green, who agreed to remain on the Board.
Richard assumed an active management role, serving both as Chairman and as President of the Radio Group and launched a new station in Windsor and a second new station in London.
"It's a very sad day for the company," says Ron Dann, president of Blackburn Radio Inc. "Richard was a great man to work with. He had a deep and abiding passion for the broadcast industry and he really believed in providing good, strong, local community service for the markets that we serve. He will really be missed."
Richard was an innovator, serving as the champion of the company's Interactive Media initiative that led to the launch of BlackburnNews.com. He also served as Director of the Ontario Association of Broadcasters and on the Stratford Festival's Board of Governors.
His innovative spirit led him to having a great interest in the research being done at the Robarts Research Institute, particularly cardiac research.
To this end, in 1996, the Blackburn Group and family set up a large endowment fund to support initiatives in the search for a cure for atheroscierosis. Again in 2000, through Richard’s involvement at Robarts and the London Health Sciences Centre, the White family made another large donation for the White Family Transplantation and Minimally Invasive Surgical Suite.
But Costley-White's philanthropy was not limited to the London medical community. In 1993, he became a member and a director of the Walter J. Blackburn Foundation, which gives grants to charitable organizations in the fields of health, education, welfare, the environment, and the arts. Richard became Chairman in 2003, and in 2009 also assumed the role of President. In 2012, he passed that role to his wife Caitlin.
Richard recognized the benefits of business education and was a donor to the Ivey School of Business at the time of the new building being constructed.
A private funeral has taken place and a celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later date.