posted 11-29-2017 05:49 PM               

Historian and author James Hansen wrote about White in his authorized biography of Armstrong, "First Man."

When he left the university, Neil soon realized that handling his mail on his own was an impossible burden. In February 1980, he rented a small office on Broadway in Lebanon, Ohio, then, "I had my accountant put an ad in the paper, not with my name on it," for an administrative aide.

Vivian White of Lebanon had worked in the local real estate business for twenty-eight years as well as being a part-time secretary for the mayor of Lebanon. Vivian "worked out very well, a very good choice," in part because, as Vivian explains, "I don't ask! That has been my policy all along. You can tell what a private person he is, and I just made a point that I don't ask him anything I don't need to know to do my job."

Of her time with Armstrong, White told a friend, "we worked together for 33 years and never once had a cross word." She also said that "she'd never heard Neil say a bad word about anybody."

White's employment interview in 1980 was conducted across an old card table in Armstrong's bare office. That old card table would serve as his desk for the next 33 years. Nothing in that office would have told you that one of the world's most famous people frequented its spaces.

Throughout her hire, White kept the details of her working relationship with Armstrong private. After Armstrong's death in 2012, a few details did begin to slip out.

Both of them were very aware of the value of Armstrong's autograph. Besides his familiar limitations on autograph requests, which she would police, they took additional steps to keep collectors at bay. For example, in his administrative notes to her, Armstrong used Vivian's initials or name to throw any potential "dumpster diver" off track. She would respond using some other cryptic code they had established, to apparent success.

Per her obituary, Vivian White is survived by her two daughters, Lois and Margie, three grandchildren, four great grandchildren, two great great-granddaughters and several step grandchildren and step great grandchildren.