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Founding dean gives $100,000 to public health school
By MARY COCHRANE
Reporter Contributor
J. Warren Perry, founding dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions, has given $100,000 to the school.
Perry, who served as dean from 1966-77, has made the gift in two parts: $50,000 now and $50,000 through a bequest commitment. In addition to this gift, his largest to the school, Perry previously established endowed scholarships for students in the departments of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and Rehabilitation Science, and the Dr. J. Warren Perry lecture series, begun in 1988.
The school's interim dean, Maurizio Trevisan, thanked Perry for his gift, noting that his legacy will benefit current students and faculty, and those in future generations.
"Dr. Perry has been a vital presence in the School of Public Health and Health Professions since its inception. His gift ensures that more students will benefit from a school that began strong and continues to thrive, thanks to Dr. Perry's leadership, laughter and good will," Trevisan said.
Perry's years of work in allied health, as well as his philanthropy, have earned him widespread recognition. Most recently, the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society presented its Red Jacket award to him, as well as to President William R. Greiner and recently retired Rep. John LaFalce. It is the first time in the award's 46-year history that it was presented to three winners, who are selected for ongoing civic contributions and service to Western New York.
Perry, who has listings in "Who's Who in the U.S.," "Who's Who in the World" and "Who's Who in Medicine and Health Care," also has received the Institute of Medicine Award from the National Academy of Science. The Journal of Allied Health, which Perry helped inaugurate, bestowed its Editor's Award on Perry in 2001, the 30th anniversary of the journal.
In 2000, the UB Alumni Association honored Perry with its Walter P. Cooke Award, presented to a non-alumnus for notable and meritorious contributions to the university.
Perry came to Buffalo in 1966 from Washington, D.C., where he had served as deputy assistant commissioner of research and training at the Social and Rehabilitation Service of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Born in Richmond, Ind., he graduated from DePauw University and earned a doctorate from Northwestern University in clinical psychology and college personnel studies. His first job also was at Northwestern, as director of prosthetic and orthotic education in the medical school.
A lifelong bachelor, Perry refers to some of his former UB students as his "children," including Christopher Bork, '69, '80, dean of the School of Allied Health at the Medical College of Ohio.
Bork noted that many UB School of Public Health and Health Professions graduates now direct programs of allied health throughout the country.
"And Warren was our leader. He's the glue," Bork said of Perry.
Perry's gift is part of "The Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation," now in its final phase.