SENIOR KAPPA AFFAIRS SPOTLIGHT
Commissioner Cecil Perry Educator, Public Servant and Life-long Mentor
By MG(R) Hawthorne "Peet" Proctor
individuals that he has mentored will call, write or just stop him to say thank you for helping them become successful in life! Above all, he encouraged so many who have gone on to become medical doctors, judges, educators, Engi- neers, politicians, profes- sional athletes and even an Army General. I am proud to call him a friend, frater- nity brother and mentor! He is extremely proud of the fact that members of Elizabeth City’s governing body include the Mayor whom he has mentored from the time she was a student in his high school Mathematics class, advised her during her student teaching, later assisted her in becoming a County Commissioner and now the Mayor. Several members of the City Council are former students, including one who played profes- sional football in the NFL. When a tragedy struck the family of a friend of his son Tyrone, Commissioner Perry, who served as their Junior Olympics Program Coach, became more like a “father coach” for this young man. “After some 30 years, he remains in touch with me and my fam- ily” according to Commis- sioner Perry. Although retirement left Commissioner Perry with time to relax, travel and spend more time with chil- dren and grandchildren, he continued his civic and personal commitment to his community, his church and his beloved Fraternity. He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and a charter mem- ber of the Elizabeth City Alumni Chapter. He has served as the Chapter’s Polemarch and as advisor
and became the assistant coach for the basketball team. When public schools within Pasquotank County were integrated in 1969, Brother Perry transferred to the newly integrated Northeastern High School and taught Mathematics. His career in public school administration began in 1972 and he became the Assistant Principal of Northeastern. In this capacity, he continued to hone his skills as a mentor of all students, past and present regardless of race, gender or social status which led to his becoming the Principal of Central Elementary school for 14 years and later four years as Principal of Pasquotank Elementary School prior to retiring. He then served as interim Principal of a middle school in an adja- cent county while serving as an Adjunct Professor, observing, evaluating and mentoring student teach- ers at Elizabeth City State University. Suffice it to say that teaching was his paid pro- fession, but Commissioner Perry always had time to mentor and assist so many individuals as they contin- ued their higher education or pursued employment in a variety of fields outside the field of education. As a good Kappa man, he worked hard to ensure that others “Achiev[ed] in every fields of human en- deavor”! When asked what he enjoys doing, Brother Perry’s face lights up to tell you about the hundreds of individuals that he has mentored, coached and as- sisted over the many years of his professional and retired life. His satisfac- tion is overwhelming when
to the Epsilon Alpha Chap- ter at Elizabeth City State University. In 2008, he was honored as a member in good standing of our great fraternity for 50 years! Currently serving as a Pasquotank County Com- missioner, he also serves as a member of the Pasquo- tank County Tri-county Jail Commission, the Regional Health Department Board, the Juvenile Crime Preven- tion Commission and the Education Board of the North Carolina Board of County Commission- ers! For someone who has retired, Commissioner Perry remains energized by his successful efforts to improve the quality of life for all members of Pasquo- tank County and surround- ing counties that depend on Pasquotank County for a variety of services. Throughout his long and dedicated service, Com- missioner Perry has been recognized as the Eliza- beth City – Pasquotank County Schools Principal of the Year in 1987-88, he received the Leadership Achievement Award in 2008 from the Bishop of the Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District A.M.E. Zion Church. Additionally, Commissioner Perry has received numerous awards, plaques and honors for his civic and public service resulting in the award of a 2006 membership in the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine. This is the highest honor that the North Carolina governor can bestow upon a civilian. Commissioner Perry’s lasting legacy of service and sustained achievement has left an indelible mark on his community, his church and his fraternity in the spirit of Phi Nu Pi!
C ommissioner Cecil Perry (Gamma Omicron 1958) and I met as students in 1961 at PW Moore High School in 1955. His early years were spent growing up in the Okisko community of Pasquotank County, NC. During his early years of schooling, he attended a one room school for African Americans in his community. Commis- sioner Perry often boasts that he walked over seven thousand miles during his first seven years of school! Upon completion of his primary school education, he went on to complete his secondary school education at PW Moore in Elizabeth City, NC. He married his best friend and childhood sweetheart, Silhouette Lillie (Cooper) Perry after graduating from college. They both became educators while raising three sons; Dr. Tyrone Perry DDS, (Kappa 1982) Dwayne and Ron. They are proud grandparents of seven grandchildren. His career in public education spanned over forty-years starting at C.S. Brown High School in Winton, NC in 1959 where he taught Math- ematics and Chemistry. In 1961, he returned to his alma mater, P.W. Moore, to teach Mathematics
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