By Taylor Boyd
A local author and historian created a new scholarship to honor his parents.
Tom Perry said his parents “both were really big on education, and I just wanted to do something to keep their name alive and honor them. They both lived to be 88 years old, so they had a good run. Both of them. I felt that the best way I could do that is to give back to the kids of Patrick County and maybe help some of them get through school.”
As a result, the younger Perry created the Perry Family Scholarship.
His father, Erie Meredith Perry, was a teacher in Patrick County for 28 years. The elder Perry taught social studies and coached basketball at Blue Ridge High School before serving as principal at Red Bank Elementary School from 1964 to 1973, and then Blue Ridge Elementary School, from 1974 to 1987.
“I had my father for one year as principal when I was in seventh grade. ‘You have to set a certain example as you are the principal’s son,’ I can’t tell you how many times I heard that,” Perry said.
While not an educator, Perry’s mother Betty Hobbs Perry, also was a massive supporter of education. “When I was a little guy, there was no doubt that Tom was going to college,” he said.
After losing both of his parents in the course of about two months, Perry set up the scholarship.
“We’re probably going to give about $500 a year,” he said, and added “you just have to be a senior at Patrick County High School” to be eligible for the scholarship.
He said he would also prefer to award the scholarship to a senior planning to attend either Perry or his father’s alma mater.
“That’s what I kind of want because if they’re going to Patrick Henry most of the time their tuition is already paid by the Harvest Foundation. So, I want it for people going to” Surry Community College, Radford University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Appalachian State University, he said.
Perry said an essay about history is another requirement.
“Whoever writes the best history essay, that’s who will get the scholarship,” he said, adding he is leaving the word length up to the teachers.
Applicants “don’t have to study history, I just want you to write an essay. Hopefully, the idea is to get them to learn a little history. I don’t have any strict requirements about what your major is, just so you learn a little history doing it,” he said.
Perry said the scholarship will begin this year, and the Patrick County High School is in the process of getting students to apply for it.
Profits from Perry’s book about his father, “Eriesistible: Reflections on my Father, Erie Meredith Perry,” will go to fund the scholarship.
“It’s like Mr. Rigby. We gave all the profits from the Mr. Rigby book to that scholarship,” he said. “Right now, I think I’ve got enough to fund it for seven years. I hope I’ll have enough to fund it (Perry scholarship) indefinitely.”
