A Look at the Perry Years

Tad Perry, Nancy Peacock, and Bruce Addison

Above, Tad and Carolyn, ’66, Perry with C. Fred Bergsten, ’61, (standing) and his wife, Jenny, ’59, (seated). At right, Central’s board of trustees.

“I moved to Fayette when I was six months defining campaign priorities, stewardship as a old and grew up on the campus,” Perry said. board, and willingness to make calls with us.” “It became a fundamental part of who I was.” With the campaign going well, it wasn’t

Central never left Perry, and he never long before construction was under way for really left Central. the beautiful Thogmorton Center for Allied

“Becoming a member of the board gave me Health, a new home for the nursing program a role I could never have imagined,” he said. and health sciences. Then came a much-needed “And it allowed me to reconnect in a way I makeover and modernization of 1960s-era truly appreciated. It seemed pretty natural.” Stedman Hall. Perry said the selection of the

Perry was already serving on the Central right projects was key. Board of Trustees when he took over as “These buildings represent a whole lot of chairman in late 2014. He started his tenure people and a whole lot of history,” Perry said. with a new president and a monumental “Stedman was opened when I was on campus. fundraising goal. He is ending his time as It had been the last ‘new’ academic building. chairman this summer after what some might But we needed to bring our sciences physically community,” Perry said. “A very positive say has been the most successful period in into the current century. We gave the students message.” Central’s 167-year history. the academic experience they needed in A more recent and equally bold board “I had the benefit of working “Becoming a member of the Stedman and with Thogmorton. initiative was more about academic technology. Central launched Digital U in 2018, a $7 with three outstanding board chairs before I had board gave me a role I could never have imagined ... it allowed This was terribly important.” Perry is quick million investment in helping students “learn the way they live” by putting an iPad into the hands of all the Fayette campus students. the assignment— me to reconnect in a way I truly to point out Academically, Perry played a pivotal role Bob Courtney, Bob Shaner, and Glenn appreciated. It seemed pretty that impactful construction in helping Drake with a dramatic turnaround in Central’s student retention and student Cox,” he said. natural.” — Tad Perry on campus goes completion rates, as well as the institution’s

Not long after beyond the increased enrollment the last three years. becoming chairman, Perry and his board Campaign for the Heart of Central. He also mentioned some important work launched a $20-million fundraising effort— “I take a lot of pride in what has happened years ago launching the College of Graduate the Campaign for the Heart of Central. The over the past two decades,” he said. “The and Extended Studies. “It has been critically massive campaign seemed like a tall order Inman Center (2005) is pure quality and is important to the university’s ability to make for a small country college, but not to Perry quite impressive. And Classic Hall (2012) progress.” and Central’s leadership. The campaign was was boarded up. Getting that renovated was But Perry is humble about those initiatives completed in record time thanks to a generous critically important.” and credits his entire board and President alumni base and wonderful friends. Perry said Classic Hall was “right at our Drake for the accomplishments.

“The consultants told us they weren’t front door,” and the reopening of a beautiful, If you visit with him and the topic of sure if we could do it even in 10 years,” said modern facility provided a warm entrance to legacy comes up, be prepared for an eloquent President Roger Drake. “And we did it in just campus. He said it was not only needed for and thoughtful discussion. Perry loves 3 1/2, due in large part to Tad’s work.” space, but for energy. Central. His father was a legendary professor

Drake said that Perry was a leader “not “It symbolized energy and momentum at Central. His wife attended Central. And he only with his own sacrificial giving, but also and sent a message to the alums and the met his mentors at Central.

Those mentors helped shape not only his career choice but how he taught and how he mentored his own students. The mentors were • Dr. Harold Sunoo, who challenged Perry intellectually and forever impressed upon him the importance of research. • Gil Fleer, ’55, “never said a negative thing about another human and was true a role model.” Perry tried to live by that standard. • Professor Bob Jacobs “got me interested in political science as a freshman” and handed Perry 10 books to read one summer and told him an exam would come at the end of the summer. “He taught me to work independently.” • The legendary Dean T. (James Thogmorton, ’43) “was always there, always encouraging. He was so positive and a great role model for me.”

Perry to this day believes in recognizing great faculty members, like his mentors, and honoring their work and their legacy. In fact, he and his wife funded and launched the Carolyn and Tad Perry Fellow Award, an annual stipend that goes to the faculty member who has demonstrated a genuine commitment to student experiences, growth, and achievement, beyond the normal teaching and mentoring. The university creates a video about those individuals each year.

But that is just one example of Perry’s generosity. There are many more.

Some might say Perry saved his best work for last. When the global pandemic found its way to Fayette in March 2020 and Central students quickly moved to online studies, Perry appointed a Pandemic Response Committee to help.

He brought together the top medical minds on the Board of Trustees, along with former trustees and industry leaders. Perry attended every meeting, and soon, Central’s COVID-19 testing protocols were developed. And the board produced the cash necessary to purchase equipment and technology for the on-campus effort to battle COVID-19.

“We were far better prepared to deal with the pandemic than other colleges,” Perry said. “And it was because of Digital U. We really just pivoted to an online environment. Many other colleges struggled.”

Perry is quick to note that while Digital U positioned Central to continue the academic part of the institution’s mission, the first priority of the Pandemic Response Committee was student health.

“We as a board always understood that we had to deal with academics and the student experience, but you can’t get there without keeping students healthy,” he said. “The Mike Miserocchis, the Nancy Peacocks, the Bruce Addisons, the Jacque Richmonds, the JB Waggoners, they gave their time on a weekly basis and helped us develop a strategy for a healthy environment for students, faculty, and staff. I can’t say enough about their work.”

At the start of school in the fall of 2020, Central was the only college in Missouri with comprehensive COVID-19 testing for all its students. And as the ’20-’21 academic year wound down, active cases on campus dwindled to just a few.

Similarly, Perry’s days as chairman are dwindling. Only a few remain. He is handing the reins to Dr. Nancy Peacock, ’82.

“My job now is to make sure she has the tools and the information she needs to lead,” Perry said. “I need to hand her the gavel and get out of the way.”

He may get out of the way, but he’ll never leave. Central never left him.

President Drake presents Perry with an honorary doctorate at the Spring 2021 Commencement ceremony