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OBITUARY PERRY, ROBERT OLIVER, 70, loving husband, brother, uncle, friend; master
of the university classroom and mentor and advisor to scores of students in a
career spanning more than 40 years, died peacefully November 6, 2005 in Dallas.
The cause was cancer. Mr. Perry was a member of the English faculty at Lock
Haven University of Pennsylvania from 1969-2003, when he retired as Associate
Professor Emeritus. From 1961-66, he taught English at the University of Dallas,
Irving, leaving to pursue doctoral work at University College, London. He held a
B.A. and M.A. from SMU, where he was an A. Harris Scholar. He spent a year
teaching English in Spain. Prof. Perry's specialty was Renaissance and 17th
century British literature, particularly drama, and he was the Shakespeare
specialist at LHUP. He also taught world literature and had an abiding interest
in the work of Tennessee Williams; in his final decade of teaching he developed
a popular course exploring both text and film versions of Tennessee's plays. In
addition to introducing students to some of the seminal works of Western
literature, presented with his signature insight, style, and wit, Prof. Perry
was a dedicated teacher of writing and taught at least one writing class each
semester. He considered his work with freshman writers among his most enjoyable
and rewarding experiences in the classroom. Outside the classroom, Mr. Perry and
his wife Carolyn, Assistant Professor Emerita, volunteered as academic advisors
to the Lock Haven University football team during the 1980s and 90s. The
academic tracking, tutoring, and advising they began more than two decades ago
put LHUP in the vanguard of institutions tracking retention and graduation of
student athletes. Mr. Perry also mentored members of other teams over the years,
particularly wrestling, but Bald Eagle football was his special passion. Many
former players kept in touch over the years as they went on to successful lives
and careers. The "Bob and Carolyn Perry Academic Awards" are presented annually
to members of the Lock Haven University football team to honor scholarly
achievement. In the latter part of their careers, the Perrys came under the
spell of New Orleans, where they renovated a 140-year-old house in the French
Quarter. In retirement, they planned to divide their time between New Orleans
and Pennsylvania, doing volunteer teaching and buying and selling rare books.
Mr. Perry had also begun a stint as volunteer docent at Audubon Aquarium of the
Americas in New Orleans. Mr. Perry was a long-time Special Overseas Member of
the Royal Shakespeare Theater, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, a member of several
other professional organizations, and a supporter of drama on all levels. One
hobby of his was satiric writing, and he entertained friends and colleagues over
the years with light-hearted pieces poking fun at the human condition,
particularly the follies of academe. He was an avid traveler all his life and
especially loved wandering the British Isles with Carolyn. In his college days,
he was a skilled pianist and in the 1950s played second piano for several of
SMU's gifted musicians. He nurtured a lifelong love of literature, history, and
music and reveled in the rich musical tradition of his adopted home, New
Orleans. After 14 years as a symptom-free cancer survivor, Mr. Perry got a new
diagnosis in 2004 and fought through 18 months of aggressive treatment, which he
endured with his customary grace, dignity, and sense of humor. His forced
evacuation by helicopter from a New Orleans hospital in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina put added stress on his already fragile health and contributed
to his death two months later in Dallas. Family, friends, colleagues, and
students whose lives he touched remember R.O. Perry as a kind and gentle man, of
inspiring intellect, broad understanding, and uncommon grace. Born January 28,
1935 in Houston, Mr. Perry was the son of William H. Perry, Sr. and Florence
Walberg Perry of Galveston and the brother of William H. Perry, Jr., of Dallas,
who all predeceased him. He will be lovingly missed by his wife of nearly 37
years, Carolyn Fuchs Perry. Other survivors include brother George S. Perry and
wife Beverley of Hurst; sister-in-law Nell Perry of Dallas; sister
Charlotte Wright of Harvey, LA;
nephews William H. Perry III and wife Diane and Randolph R. Perry and wife Suzzi
of Dallas; nephew and godson Simon Flynn of Raleigh, NC; nieces Diane Hutto and
husband Tim of Flower Mound and Alison Greene and husband Don of Lorena;
grandnephews Matthew, Travis, Taylor, and Spencer Perry, James Greene, and Chris
Hutto; and grandnieces Kristen Perry, Caroline Rubalcava, Katy Perry, Shawna
Pounds, Meredith Highsmith, Jackie Cooper, and Adriel Greene, as well as several
great-grandnieces and nephews. Other loving survivors include brother-in-law
William Flynn and wife Samantha of Raleigh, NC, and sisters-in-law Lorraine
Harrington and Elizabeth Fuchs of California. A funeral service is scheduled
Wednesday, November 9 at 3:30p.m. at Restland Wildwood Chapel with entombment to
follow. A second memorial service celebrating his life will be held in Lock
Haven, PA at a later date. The family suggests memorials to the Robert O. and
Carolyn Perry Scholarship (Lock Haven University foundation, Lock Haven, PA
17745) or to organizations supporting cancer research. Restland 972-238-7111
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OBITUARY ROBERT OLIVER PERRY - English
professor taught - Shakespeare with a smile
Robert Oliver Perry was an English professor known for his sense of humor.
His more than 40-year career included five years at the University of Dallas. He
taught Renaissance and 17th-century British literature and was a specialist in
Shakespeare.
Mr. Perry, 70, died Sunday of cancer at Baylor University Medical Center at
Dallas. He was hospitalized at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans when Hurricane
Katrina hit, evacuated by helicopter to Thibodaux, La., and then transferred to
Baylor.
Services will be at 3:30 p.m. today at Restland Funeral Home's Wildwood Chapel.
He will be entombed in Restland Memorial Park after the service.
"He had an amazing sense of humor that the students still talk about," said his
wife, Carolyn Fuchs Perry of New Orleans. "I just got a note from a colleague
that said, 'I'll never forget his sense of humor.' He made the classroom fun."
Mr. Perry taught English at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania for 34 years,
retiring in 2003. Mrs. Perry is also an emeritus member of the school's English
faculty.
Born in Houston, Mr. Perry grew up in Carrollton and Dallas. He graduated from
North Dallas High School.
An accomplished piano player, he initially majored in music at Southern
Methodist University but realized he wasn't good enough to be a concert pianist,
his wife said.
"He played second piano and enjoyed it," Mrs. Perry said.
Mr. Perry received his bachelor's and master's degrees in English from SMU,
where he was an A. Harris Scholar.
He taught English at the University of Dallas from 1961 to 1966. Mr. Perry then
taught English in Spain for a year before continuing his education at University
College in London.
He was a longtime Special Overseas Member and supporter of the Royal Shakespeare
Theatre at Stratford-Upon-Avon in England.
Mr. and Mrs. Perry fell in love with New Orleans on visits to the Crescent City.
The couple retired there and renovated a 140-year-old house in the French
Quarter. Mr. Perry was a docent at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New
Orleans, where he planned to do volunteer teaching and buy and sell rare books.
In addition to Mr. Perry's wife, survivors include a brother, George S. Perry of
Hurst, and a sister, Charlotte Wright of Harvey, La. Mr. Perry was especially
close to his sister-in-law, Nell Perry of Dallas, who also survives him, his
wife said.
Memorials may be made to the Robert O. and Carolyn Perry Scholarship at the Lock
Haven University Foundation, Lock Haven, Pa. 17745, or to cancer research.
Dallas Morning News, The (TX) - November 9, 2005 |
Carrollton-Farmers
Branch TXGenWeb