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Life Trustee
CONVICTION, DETERMINATION
and STRENGTH
by ROBERT POU ’21
—H. ROSS PEROT JR. ’77
IN 2020, the Board of Trustees officially named Henry Ross Perot Jr. ’77 a Life Trustee of St. Mark’s. After a necessary pause of inperson events, the Board finally had the chance to honor Perot at its Trustee dinner in April 2022. Headmaster David Dini described Perot as a “pillar of conviction, determination and strength.”
A 12-year Marksman, Perot pursued many interests during his time as a student. He competed in water polo, wrestling and track, and served as president of the Gun Club and secretary of the Senior Class.
In accepting the Life Trustee honor, Perot fondly recalled the time he spent on campus.
“My brothers in my life are my St. Mark’s classmates,” he said. “And they really are my brothers.”
Since his time as a student, Perot has given back to the School in numerous ways. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees from 1992–2013, which included a stint as president from 2004–2006. He also served on the Development Committee, the Finance Committee, the Committee on Trustees and the Executive Committee. As president, he oversaw the planning for Centennial Hall and the Hoffman Center, championed the Character and Leadership program and bolstered the number of endowed master teaching chairs available to faculty and staff.
He and his wife Sarah also established the Gene and Alice Oltrogge Master Teaching Chair in 2011, named in honor of Perot’s Lower School fine arts instructor, Alice Oltrogge. The family’s dedication to the School is also immortalized in the Perot Family Quadrangle sign at the entrance of campus. Perot’s vision for the School and his dedication to fulfilling that vision will always stand out among his many years of service to the School. In its official resolution, the Board of Trustees noted, “Mr. Perot clearly has exhibited lengthy, outstanding, and meritorious service as a trustee, which is indicative of a lifetime of extraordinary and substantive commitment to St. Mark’s School of Texas and its programs, including important and institution-shaping contributions of time, energy, creativity, vision and resources.”
Perot and his wife Sarah are the parents of Hill ’05, Hunter ’06, Sarah and Meredith.
(opposite) H. Ross Perot Jr. ’77 and his wife Sarah
(right, top to bottom) Perot at Trustee Dinner in April 2022
Perot at Alumni Weekend 2017 with David McAtee ’87 and Andrew Lin ’17
Perot and his son Hill ’05 at Spring Alumni Dinner in April 2022
