Benjamin L. Perry, Jr.
Dr. Benjamin Luther Perry, Jr (1918-March 1997) was the President of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
Life and Education
Dr. Benjamin L. Perry was born in Eatonville, Florida in about 1918. His father, Benjamin L. Perry, Sr. was the former Dean of the School of Agriculture at Florida A&M University. Perry Sr. was so influential that there is a street named after him, Perry Street, in Tallahassee on the edge of the campus.
Dr. Perry (Jr.) received his B.S. in Agricultural Education from Florida A&M. He went on to receive his M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State College in 1942. After that, he received his Ph.D. in Land Economics from Cornell University.
In March 1997, Dr. Perry stepped off a curb in front of his home on Perry Street (named after his father) and was struck by a car. He died from the injuries sustained in the accident. He was 79 years old. No charges were filed as it was deemed an accident.
HBCU Contributions
Dr. Perry became President of Florida A&M in 1968 and served until 1977. He is credited with preventing FAMU from being forced into a merger with neighboring Florida State University. He founded the Naval ROTC on campus as well as the School of Business and the School of Architecture. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at Florida A&M in 1995.
References
- Obituaries: Benjamin L. Perry Jr., Former FAMU President | Orlando Sentinel
- Black History Milestone | February 15, 2008