Obituaries

Edward ‘Ted’ S. Perry, 87, of Middlebury

EDWARD ‘TED’ S. PERRY

Note: This obituary was originally shared with the college community by Middlebury College President Laurie Patton.

 

MIDDLEBURY — Edward “Ted” S. Perry, Fletcher Professor Emeritus of the Arts, died on June 10, 2024, in Middlebury, Vermont. He was 87 years old. With an extensive résumé in film, Perry arrived at the College in the 1970s to start a film studies program and was instrumental in its evolution into the Department of Film and Media Culture.

“Ted Perry built film studies from the ground up,” said friend and colleague Leger Grindon, professor emeritus of film studies. “He was tireless in initiating new classes, hiring engaging faculty, and constantly seeking benefits for students: informative courses, excellent equipment, exciting film screenings, and provocative guests. In addition, he had a wonderful classroom presence of his own.”

Perry was born June 4, 1937, and grew up in New Orleans, where he began going to the movies with his father at an early age and, at nine years old, bought himself a 16 mm camera and cheap projector so he could make home movies. He earned his bachelor’s degree in drama and English from Baylor University in 1960 and a master’s and PhD in speech and dramatic art in 1966 and 1968, respectively, from the University of Iowa. He then embarked on his impressive career.

“Before he was persuaded to come to Middlebury, Ted’s extraordinary odyssey included positions at the University of Iowa, the University of Texas at Austin, the Department of Cinema Studies at New York University, and the Museum of Modern Art—all places that were indisputably at the center of the action, incubators of talent and serious accomplishment,” said friend Stephen Donadio, John Hamilton Fulton Professor Emeritus of Humanities.

Perry joined the Middlebury faculty in 1978 as a professor of theatre and dean of the arts and humanities, after serving as the director of the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art and the Visiting Henry Luce Professor at Harvard University. He quickly made his impact as he sought to rectify the fact that the College had no offerings in the field of cinema and not the means to develop students’ interests in learning about or creating films.

“Ted recognized the instrumental value for students to be not only well read but also well viewed,” said Michelle McCauley, longtime colleague and now provost. “He led Middlebury to develop a robust film curriculum far ahead of many of our peers. Our nationally renowned film and media culture program is a testament to his inspiring vision.” Among his many endeavors, Perry implemented film courses with talented faculty, acquired state-of-the-art film equipment, had Dana Auditorium reconfigured to be able to project 35 mm films, and brought in major figures from the film industry to speak.

Over the years his many talents were put to good use at the College as he took on important teaching and administrative positions, including dean for program development, faculty associate of Ross Commons, director of the New England Young Writers’ Conference, professor of film and media culture and art, faculty liaison to the Commons, and chair of numerous committees as well as of the Department of Music and the Department of Theatre. Middlebury was not the only recipient of his knowledge and expertise. Highly regarded in the industry, he held positions, including as trustee and trustee emeritus, for the American Film Institute, where he also served as a visiting professor and jury member; chair and lecturer at the Salzburg Seminar on Film; director of the Silberman Symposium on the Holocaust and Cinema; member of the board of advisors of the Harvard Film Archive; and member of the advisory committee for Anthology Film Archives in New York.

An accomplished and prolific writer, Perry produced numerous books, articles, and plays over the years. He wrote and edited pieces on Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, and Robert Gardner, as well as sculptor Buky Schwartz, and was the writer, director, and/or producer of 15 motion picture documentaries that aired on TV networks. In 2001, he published his autobiography, My Reel Story, in which he examined, in a series of trips back to his native New Orleans, his childhood and family relationships and the impact they had on his life’s work.

Perry’s contributions to the College were invaluable and stemmed from his core belief in the cultural importance of films. In an article he wrote in 1988 for Middlebury Magazine titled “Why I Teach Film,” he said, “Investigating the history and criticism and the aesthetics of the moving image is important, not only because the moving image is an independent art form, but also because the moving image has inflected the culture of this century.” With the belief that “any liberal arts education in the 20th century has to engage the issue of the moving image,” Perry shepherded the film and media program through its development, which grew to include teaching a hands-on approach to making videos.

“In addition to creating an incomparably ambitious program in film at Middlebury (incorporating both scholarly analysis and production), Ted, in his many capacities over the years, worked tirelessly to increase the range and quality of offerings across the curriculum and beyond,” said Donadio. “No one ever did more to elevate the College’s cultural and intellectual profile, or more to advance the careers of Middlebury students. We are all in his debt.”

Perry is survived by his wife of nearly 63 years, Miriam; his twin sons, John and Thad; daughter Megan Perry Smith ’92; daughter Melissa Perry Fountain ’88, and son-in-law Michael Fountain; nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

A family graveside gathering will be held in Mississippi in the fall. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. The family wishes to acknowledge the outpouring of messages from far and wide. Also, our thanks go out to the wonderful Palliative Care team at Porter Hospital.◊

 

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