Former editor of The Royal Gazette David White reflected in a 1996 interview on the drawbacks of heading the daily of a small country.

“People get angry with me for things that the paper carries — politicians, of course, are always angry with me,” said Mr White, then looking back at 20 years as editor.

“I have tried not to work socially, or I probably couldn’t have gone out.”

He added: “I’m certainly not unhappy about having been here for the last 30 years. The Royal Gazette is probably the only place where I wouldn’t have been bored. It’s never been dull.”

Mr White finally stepped down 15 years ago, in December of 1998, after 22 years as editor, and 45 years with The Royal Gazette and its sister paper, The Mid-Ocean News.

Roger Davidson, former chairman of Bermuda Press (Holdings) Limited, owners of The Royal Gazette, called him “a true Bermudian”.

“He thought that The Royal Gazette should reflect the community. In many ways, David didn’t care what people thought of his own political views. The fact that he contributed his art collection to the community a couple of years ago indicated his love for Bermuda. He was a great journalist, and his record, when you look at it over the years, indicated that he took it very seriously.”

Bill Zuill, Mr White’s successor as editor until December, 2012, last night recalled Mr White’s unstinting commitment to the core principles of his trade.

“In my view, David’s most important accomplishment during his time as editor was that he restored and reinforced The Royal Gazette’s position as a strong, independent voice in Bermuda. David was forthright in his views and was unafraid to take on people in positions of power. It is ironic that the Gazette is perceived as being voice of the establishment — because David took on the establishment endlessly when he was editor. As a journalist working for David, you knew that if you had your facts straight, he would back you, no matter what.”

Mr White also paid the price of his convictions, Mr Zuill added.

“Before I succeeded him as editor, he told me I would lose many more friends than I would make — and he was right about that,” Mr Zuill said.

“That is the price you pay as an individual to ensure that the media is free and is able, to borrow one of his favourite phrases, to tell the truth, warts and all. David endured a great deal of stress and made many sacrifices as editor. Bermuda owes him a huge debt of gratitude.”

Gerry Hunt, former Royal Gazette deputy editor and later foreign editor of the UK’s Daily Mail, remembered Mr White’s “major influence on my personal and professional life”.

“As a young kid in my early 20s looking for challenges in the world, he took me on after I wrote to him at The Royal Gazette from Coventry, England, for a job in 1978.

“He took a chance on me, and I like to think I didn’t let him down. He introduced me to David Gibbons, Lois Browne-Evans, Ottiwell Simmons and so many others who forged Bermuda’s future in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“He knew them all well and was adamant I should know them too if I were to do a responsible job on The Royal Gazette as, at first, a general news reporter and then as a political reporter. He was passionate in his belief the paper should serve the people of Bermuda.”

Mr Hunt recalled his boss also becoming his friend, including offering his home for a wedding reception after the original venue fell through.

“My wife Marie and I have a great deal to thank him for. We would like to offer our condolences to all his family, and will be raising a glass in his memory.”

Former Premier Sir John Swan remembered speaking often with Mr White during his tenure as Premier.

“We didn’t always agree, but we never stopped being friends and maintaining respect for one another,” Sir John said.

“He was a very competent editor who tried to find balance in the political process. His desire was to ensure that many voices were heard from different spectra of the community.”

Mr White’s stewardship of the newspaper spanned a crucial time of social change in Bermuda, Sir John noted.

“He had a passion for Bermuda. You saw it from the perspective of that area. Bermuda was going through quite a transition. He sometimes slipped and missed the point, but many more times he got the point of the changes that were taking place. You see that in his ardent collecting of art — he collected the memorabilia of events that were taking place.”

Mr White’s job was complicated by “the overt and covert prejudice in Bermuda socially”, he said.

“The country was striving in the direction of more inclusiveness. But there were forces on both sides that weren’t prepared to fit in with it. Part of his job in the editorial process was to fill in the gaps.”

Many knew Mr White for his devotion to the arts, not only in donating artwork but in heading the Bermuda National Gallery for 11 years until stepping down as chairman in 2008.

His successor, Gary Phillips, remembered Mr White as a man who “didn’t just manage the Bermuda National Gallery, but helped to shape it”.

He said he’d been “inundated with expressions of sadness” following Mr White’s death.

“Overwhelmed by his passing, my fellow trustees, our executive director Lisa Howie and curator Sophie Cressall all recall, and speak of, his foresight and dedication as a powerful champion of the BNG,” Mr Phillips said.

“Some have shared that David was a fine person who has left us an amazing legacy of art and friendship. Others, over the years, came to appreciate his stature, his sincerity and his genuine kindness. David’s many gifts over the years and, in particular, the magnificent collection of American impressionist paintings, was the subject of an exhibition officially opened by Thomas Campbell, the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of New York.”

Royal Gazette art critic Charles Zuill, a founding trustee of the National Gallery, said there were some initial concerns about Mr White’s appointment as chairman of the gallery’s Board of Governors because he had a reputation for being “quite tough”.

“But he turned out to be very, very good for the gallery, for many reasons,” Dr Zuill said.

“It soon became apparent that he had connections. He knew lots of people and had that ability to be very persuasive, so that was very helpful.

“And he didn’t micromanage at all. He seemed perfectly happy to let everyone get on with what they did best. Of course he had his own tastes, but he never imposed them on everyone else. If someone put forward an idea for an exhibition and he thought it was a good idea, he would go with it, even if he might personally not have been enthusiastic about the artists or theme of the show.

“He had a great deal of wisdom but he was always willing to listen and learn and even when he stood down as chairman, he remained involved from the sidelines because he was genuinely interested in the well-being of the gallery.”

Bermuda National Trust executive director Jennifer Gray recalled Mr White’s support for the trust over his many years as past president.

“He believed that anything that represented what was truly special and unique to Bermuda should be preserved,” she said. “When he was president, he just about lived in the Trust. He gave a huge amount of time and expertise.”

She said Mr White’s sheer drive could intimidate those who didn’t know him well.

“Over time, I realised what an incredibly kind-hearted man he was,” Ms Gray said. “His passing has left an incredible number of the Trust family very sad.”

A lasting testament to Mr White’s writing skills can be found in his contributions to the Bermuda’s Architectural Heritage Series books, she added.

“We have a whole team of researchers, but someone has to sit down and take all those bits and pieces and make stories out of them. He was brilliant at it. That team will miss him — as we all will.”