A Carroll County man's collection of President John F. Kennedy memorabilia, including a gold watch, one of his rocking chairs and flags from his presidential limousine, is among thousands of personal items from a number of collectors that are scheduled to be sold in a three-day auction that begins today in New York City.

Robert L. White, a retired cleaning-supply salesman whose collection of 350,000 items relates to the life of the 35th president, spent more than 40 years gathering Kennedy material. His collection, the largest in private hands, is rivaled only by that of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.

White, who lived in Woodbine, died two years ago. He was 54.

White's collection began in his youth when he wrote to Kennedy, requesting an autograph. After Kennedy's assassination, he traveled to Washington to attend the funeral.

What became a lifelong obsession was given a significant boost when White befriended Evelyn Lincoln, Kennedy's personal secretary and presidential pack rat, who filled her Chevy Chase apartment with steamer trunks and filing cabinets containing material relating to the late president.