Indiana State University Newsroom

Eston "Bud" Perry and Alice "Annie" Schmidt Perry during spring commencement May 9 at Hulman Center. The Perrys will be presented honorary Doctor of Humanities degrees in recognition of their long-time support of the university.

Through The Oakley Foundation, a family operated philanthropic organization, the Perrys were instrumental in leading the beautification of Indiana State's campus by creating landscaped entryways at Seventh and Cherry streets (Oakley Plaza) and at Third and Cherry streets (Oakley Place). The Perrys and the Oakley Foundation also helped fund installation of a new floor for the south gymnasium of the Health and Human Services Building and have provided significant support for student scholarships.

Bud Perry is a 1961 graduate of Indiana State with a bachelor's degree in health-safety and is an alumni member of the university's Lambda Chi Alpha chapter. He served in the U.S. Army Anti-Aircraft Command at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. He was district manager of Cessna Aircraft Co., a corporate officer with Indiana State Bank in Terre Haute and has been president and board chairman of the 124 Madison Corp. since 1980. He has also served in various roles for the Oakley Corp. for the past 35 years.

His dedication to Terre Haute and Indiana and the non-profit sector has been extensive with service on more than two dozen local and statewide boards including stints as chairman of the United Way Fund Campaign, president of the United Way of Indiana and president of the Greater Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce. He is a director emeritus of the Indiana State University Foundation Board having completed numerous years of active service.

He has also served on the boards of Citizens Bank of Western Indiana, Fifth Third Bank of Central Indiana, and is a current member of the Board of Trustees for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He has been listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, Who's Who in the Midwest, and Who's Who in America. Perry has twice been honored with Indiana State's William Albert Jones Medal for exemplary advice and counsel to the President of Indiana State (1992 and 2000), and is a recipient of the United Way's Newport Award and the Kiwanis Handclasp Award.

In addition to attending Indiana State, Alice Perry graduated from the Purdue University School of Pharmacy. She serves as president of the Oakley Foundation and is a past member of the Union Hospital Foundation Board. Other memberships include Delta Gamma Sorority, Tri Kappa Sorority, PEO Philanthropic Organization and the Indiana Pharmaceutical Association. The Perrys are also members of the Country Club of Terre Haute and the Golden Bear Club at Keene's Pointe in Windemere, Fla.

This marks the first year Indiana State has conducted two ceremonies for spring commencement. The honorary degree presentation is scheduled for the 2 p.m. ceremony involving graduates from the Scott College of Business; College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services; and the College of Technology. An early ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. for graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Bayh College of Education.

The Perrys have three children - Julie (and Steven) Heck, Jeff (and Jennifer) Perry, and Jennifer (and Travis) Norris, and seven grandchildren. They reside in Terre Haute and Windermere, Fla.

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Other/Headshot-Proofs/Miscellaneous-Portrat-Proofs/Commencement-Spring-2015/i-45mBCzB/1/L/Perry-L.jpg

Media contact: Dave Taylor, media relations director, Office of Communications and Marketing, Indiana State University, 812-237-3743 or dave.taylor@indstate.edu