John Van Buren Perry, Historian and Educator, Dies at 98

John served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, the early Cold War, and at the beginning of the Korean Conflict. For several years, he served in the Atlantic Fleet at Primary Flight Control on the bridge of one of the largest aircraft carriers, U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42), as it became the flagship for various task forces and fleets in the Mediterranean Sea, above the Arctic Circle, and both the Atlantic and Caribbean. During these travels, he visited nearly thirty foreign countries (Source ID: 1). [1]

On returning to Aberdeen, he studied at Northern State University under the World War II GI Bill, earning a bachelor’s degree with teaching fields in history, political science, sociology, English, Classical Attic Greek, and mathematics. Next, he attended Black Hills State University to qualify for teaching credentials and taught for a year in public schools. A scholarship drew him back to graduate study at New York University, but his special interests led him to do most of his graduate study and teaching at the University of California, Berkeley (Source ID: 1). [1]

John Van Buren Perry earned a bachelor’s degree at Northern State University under the World War II GI Bill, with teaching fields in history, political science, sociology, English, Classical Attic Greek, and mathematics (Source ID: 1). After completing his undergraduate studies, he attended Black Hills State University to qualify for teaching credentials and taught for a year in public schools. A scholarship drew him back to graduate study at New York University, but his special interests led him to do most of his graduate study and teaching at the University of California, Berkeley (Source ID: 1). [1]

Perry spent a year teaching public school in Britton, South Dakota, and then spent almost all of the next sixty years teaching in public colleges and universities. The most enjoyable stints were at the California State Universities at Fresno and Sonoma, helping to start Central Wyoming College, and some three-dozen years at Lake Tahoe Community College (Source ID: 1). He was one of the original full-time faculty creating LTCC and helping it to earn its early accreditation (Source ID: 1). [1]

His major interests included reading, researching, and incorporating materials from museums and travel into his classroom teaching. He visited and studied cultural sites and institutions in more than eighty countries, which included almost all the major museums of the world. To share as many artifacts and artworks as possible, he built collections that showed the development of ancient human skills in making basketry and stone tools, making and decorating ceramics, creating metal weapons and equipment, glassmaking, the Renaissance printing of texts, pictures, and maps, and finally, the European manufacture of porcelains (Source ID: 1). [1]

John Van Buren Perry earned a bachelor’s degree at Northern State University under the World War II GI Bill, with teaching fields in history, political science, sociology, English, Classical Attic Greek, and mathematics (Source ID: 1). His academic journey was influenced by his family's military background, as his father and three uncles served in World War I, and he himself served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, the early Cold War, and the Korean Conflict. [1]

During his naval service, Perry served in the Atlantic Fleet on the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42), which operated in the Mediterranean Sea, above the Arctic Circle, and in the Atlantic and Caribbean. These experiences exposed him to nearly thirty foreign countries, broadening his cultural and historical perspectives (Source ID: 1). [1]

After returning to Aberdeen, Perry pursued higher education and eventually spent a year teaching public school in Britton, South Dakota. He then spent nearly sixty years teaching in public colleges and universities, with notable stints at the California State Universities at Fresno and Sonoma, and at Lake Tahoe Community College, where he helped establish the institution (Source ID: 1). [1]

Perry's major interests included reading, researching, and incorporating materials from museums and travel into his classroom teaching. He visited and studied cultural sites in more than eighty countries and built extensive artifact collections that showcased the development of ancient human skills (Source ID: 1). [1]

Sources

South Tahoe Now

Prepared with AI assistance from the cited sources.