A new automotive technology program got a big boost this week.
The Barbara and Herschel Perry Charitable Trust donated $200,000 to purchase equipment for the auto tech program at the Rural Regional Technical Center at LaHarpe.
The program is expected to begin in the fall and will allow area high school students to learn about automotive repair from courses affiliated with the Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia. Students who complete a two-year program can earn a certificate and go straight into the workforce, or can continue their education.
The USD 257 school board approved the program in March. Not long after that, those associated with the Perry Trust offered to help pay startup costs. The district estimated it could cost about $183,000 to purchase the various tools and lifts needed for the program. It will take about $75,000 for mechanical and plumbing work, plus another $9,500 for electrical improvements, as board members learned Monday.
At Monday’s meeting, board member Tony Leavitt talked about his association with the Perrys.
“They were very ordinary people, not college-educated, and they both cared tremendously about people and kids. They also cared about animals,” he said.
Herschel and Barbara were married on June 5, 1954, in Gas. They owned and operated Perry’s Restaurant on the west side of the square in Iola for many years. Herschel also owned and operated Perry’s Refrigeration in Iola.
Herschel died on Nov. 23, 2019, at the age of 86; Barbara died June 20, 2021, at the age of 88.
They left a sizable trust after their deaths, naming several people and organizations as beneficiaries. Money also was set aside to be dispensed over the next 25 years.
The couple had no children but “were tremendous animal lovers and their pets were their kids,” Leavitt said.
Part of their money went to the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility to cover the cost to have a dog spayed or neutered for the next 10 years, Leavitt said.
“Herschel did a lot of things like that on his own,” Leavitt said.
He shared a story about how Herschel would trap feral cats in downtown Iola, have them spayed or neutered, and released back into their territory.
Because the Perrys also cared about youth, the trustees felt the automotive program was a good use of the funds, Leavitt said.
“It is a good investment in the future,” he said.
The board members accepted the donation, expressing their thanks.
