WORLDLY COUPLE EXPLORED THE GLOBE BEFORE SETTLING DOWN A BIT.

Byline: VICTORIA GIRAUD

Some say that the secret of longevity is in keeping active.

For George and Doris White of Friendly Valley, an interest in their local community and the world-at-large has kept them vital. George, who helps deliver the community's Villager newsletter, will soon be 91. Doris is 79.

Since they married in 1969 - a second marriage for each - George and Doris have taken 41 trips all over the world, including 18 cruises, in addition to many short trips around the country. They toured first in the United States, and their wanderlust grew.

``We decided we wanted to see the country,'' Doris explained. ``We had a car, and I didn't mind driving.''

On one of their early trips, George became a collector of rocks, shells and other natural souvenirs. At the border of Georgia and Alabama he picked up a rock he liked and brought it home. On each trip after that, he made sure to collect a reminder of the journey.

George has saved a piece of marble from an ancient coliseum in Israel, some black sand from Hilo, Hawaii, and collected rocks, shells and pieces of wood from all over the world.

``I'm the biggest scavenger in this world,'' he says proudly. ``I never waste anything.''

George has taken his mementos and made special shadow boxes for them or creatively combined and mounted them on plaques to hang on the walls of the Whites' home. Some rocks and shells are used as a border around flowers in the garden. Some form a special decorative touch within the garden. Discarded pieces of wood have become a decorative table. Another piece of wood was fashioned into a walking stick.

Although their health has curtailed their far-ranging travel, the Whites have many memories to savor. They have their mementos and George's meticulous diaries of their trips. In 1985 George wrote a short version of his life that he is now expanding to include more details.

The Whites have had some hilarious adventures on their trips. They laughed about the time their tour bus left them stranded in Venice. They hired a taxi for the eight-hour trip across Italy - a $300 ride - to catch up with their tour group.

``We had to go to Genoa to connect with the boat,'' Doris remembered.

``We made it 5 minutes before they pulled up the gangplank,'' George added.

The Whites laughingly agreed that a trip by bus and train through Mexico with a senior-citizen group was the biggest travel challenge. ``Whatever could happen, did happen,'' Doris said. Scheduling was ill-timed, and there were poor accommodations, freezing weather and bad food.

At one point the travelers were booked into a motel next to a train station. To get to the motel, the elderly tourists had to walk around an extra-long freight train or else crawl over or under it. The trip ended on another mix-up. The group disembarked from the train and boarded the bus that would take them back into the United States. They already were seated in the bus when they saw the train leave prematurely with their tour guides, as well as all the luggage, still on board.

George and Doris always made the best of their trips. Experienced from years of performing in amateur song and dance revues at the Friendly Valley Little Theatre, the Whites participated in amateur-night shows on the many cruises they took.

``I was a singer, and we'd put on little skits,'' Doris remembered. Once they went costumed as lost luggage.

The Whites have been active residents of Friendly Valley since 1969. George organized the sports club. They founded and were active in the Little Theatre, which put on three revues a year. For a time Doris wrote ``Friendly Valley Happenings'' for a local weekly newspaper.

George met Doris at a dance in the San Fernando Valley in the late 1960s. ``I was very active in Parents Without Partners,'' Doris recalled. ``A friend brought him to one of our affairs, and I asked him to dance.''

``You found out how much money I had in the bank,'' George jokingly told her, then added that he married her for ``her outstanding good nature.''

Doris hails from Boston and came to Southern California in 1946. George was born in the Carpathian Mountains on a big farm near Budapest. His father came to the United States in 1914, but couldn't send for his family until World War I ended.

George spent his early years in the United States in Cleveland and Detroit. After working in a variety of jobs, he decided at 24: ``No more working for anybody else.'' Being creative and artistically talented, he decided to go into the sign business. Before he left Detroit, he owned a factory that made neon signs.

When the Whites moved to Santa Clarita, George opened a sign shop on Sierra Highway. (He'd had a shop in Tujunga for years). Ironically, business was too good for his taste when he'd decided to spend more time enjoying himself.

``I had to get up at 6 a.m., and they wouldn't take no for an answer,'' he recalled. Although he's been retired since 1973, the Whites believe there still may be a few of George's signs around town.

Longevity is a trait in George's family. His grandfather, who in his 70s fathered a child, lived to be 105. A cousin is 97. George is proud of the personal birthday greeting from President Clinton that he got when he turned 90 last summer.

While George works on his plaques or putters in the garden, Doris keeps busy with needlepoint, crewel, knitting and crocheting.

``My goal is to make it from one day to the next,'' Doris said with certainty. ``I'm grateful for every day. And I try to keep him alive.''

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Photo

Photo: George White and his wife, Doris, have decorated the ir home with souvenirs from their worldwide travels, including rocks and shells.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News