Marvin Banks Perry Jr. (September 29, 1918 – December 12, 1994) was an American academic and college administrator who served as president of

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. It was chartered in 1885 by a conference in Baltimore led by namesake John F. Goucher and local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church.https://archive.org/details/h ...

and

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...

. He also was a professor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

and at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Early life and education

Perry was born on September 29, 1918, in

Powhatan, Virginia Powhatan is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Powhatan County, Virginia, United States. Powhatan was initially known as Scottville (after Revolutionary war hero General Charles Scott), and historically has also been known as Pow ...

, to Marvin Banks and Elizabeth Gray Perry. He attended the University of Virginia, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1940. Perry went on to attend

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, from which he graduated with a master's in 1941 and a doctorate in 1950. Perry's dissertation was titled ''Keats and the Poets, 1815-1848: Studies in his Early Vogue as Reflected in the Verse Tributes and Allusions of His Contemporaries,'' and his

doctoral advisor A doctoral advisor (also dissertation director, dissertation advisor; or doctoral supervisor) is a member of a university faculty whose role is to guide graduate students who are candidates for a doctorate, helping them select coursework, as well ...

was

Hyder Edward Rollins Hyder Edward Rollins (8 November 1889 – 25 July 1958) was an American scholar and English professor. He was a prolific author of articles and books on Elizabethan poetry, broadside ballads, and Romantic poets. He was an internationally recogniz ...

Career

During his studies at Harvard, Perry served as a graduate instructor in English. After earning his doctorate, Perry returned to his alma mater, the University of Virginia, as a professor in English. He simultaneously taught at Washington and Lee University, where he eventually rose to the position of department chair in English. In 1952, he established the Elizabeth Gray and Marvin Banks Perry Memorial Fund at Washington and Lee. In 1967, Perry was appointed to serve as president of Goucher College. His inauguration took place on May 3, 1968. He held this position for six years. In 1973, he resigned from Goucher to serve as president of Agnes Scott College, a position he held until his retirement in 1982.

Later years

Perry died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on December 12, 1994, at the age of 76. At the time of his death, he was residing at the Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge Retirement Home in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

. He was survived by his wife, Ellen, and his children, Elizabeth and Margaret.

Bibliography

* Musser, Frederic O. The History of Goucher College, 1930–1985. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry Jr, Marvin Banks Presidents of Goucher College Harvard University alumni University of Virginia alumni Agnes Scott College faculty Washington and Lee University faculty 1918 births 1994 deaths Deaths from cancer in Virginia