Mighty Mike, June 28, 1993 - May 11, 2008

Born in Clyde North Carolina, Stephen Michael White lived in the Appalachian Mountains of NC. Having grown up near the Great Smokey Mountain Parkway, this young Mountaineer hiked Linville Gorge as often as he fished in Sunburst.









When he camped in Shenandoah Valley, deer would come to camp. When he found a starling out of it's nest too soon, he nursed her back to health. She had imprinted with Mike, therefore could not be introduced back into the wild right off.





When he left for South Korea in 2004, he took Tweety, a tamed Starling, to the Nature Preserve. He wanted to be sure she would be well cared for.

He attended Boone Montesorri Pre-School and Boone Elementary, before being homeschooled from 2nd grade to 9th grade. At Hoseo University, he was a member of the English Drama Club, and had a bit part in the play, "Sorry, Wrong Number". He attended Chungju University, where he earned a certificate in Korean Language.

Prior to moving to South Korea, he went to Betsy Jeff Penn State 4H camp each summer for weeks at a time. A regular traveler to Washington DC, he attended the Van Gough exhibit at the National Museum of Art, sparking a life long interest in expressive art and becoming an advid fan of Van Gough. He played the guitar eloquently - other than his mother teaching him to read music, he was self taught. He took swimming, tennis, pottery, art, and sculpting lessons at Appalachian State Universities Summer Enrichment Programs. He loved hiking, fishing, skiing, caving, swimming, and his dogs.