# Ervin Perry

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'''Ervin Sewell Perry''' (1935–December 14, 1970)<ref name=obit>{{cite news | newspaper=Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) | date=December 15, 1970 | page=1 | title=Prof Dies | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99425696/perry-death-announcement/}}</ref> was an American [civil engineer](/source/civil_engineer) who became the first Black faculty member at a predominantly White university in the [South](/source/Southern_United_States) when he was appointed in 1964 at the [University of Texas at Austin](/source/University_of_Texas_at_Austin).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cockrell.utexas.edu/an-accomplished-engineer-ervin-perry-made-history-as-uts-first-black-faculty-member |title=An Accomplished Engineer, Ervin Perry Made History as UT's First Black Faculty Member |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |access-date=9 April 2022}}</ref> [Perry–Castañeda Library](/source/Perry%E2%80%93Casta%C3%B1eda_Library), the main central library of the University of Texas at Austin library system, is named in his honor. Perry received the Young Engineer of the Year award from the [National Society of Professional Engineers](/source/National_Society_of_Professional_Engineers) in 1970.<ref name=kelly>{{cite news | newspaper=Austin American-Statesman (Texas) | date=September 14, 1977 | page=55 | title=New UT library found awesome, yet accessible | last=Kelly | first=Lee | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99423901/perry-castaneda-library/}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==

Perry was born and raised in [Coldspring, Texas](/source/Coldspring%2C_Texas). He was one of four sons and four daughters born to Willie and Edna Perry.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=San Jacinto News-Times (Shepherd, Texas) | date=September 12, 1968 | page=1 | title=Willie Perry Services in Coldspring | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99427227/perry-father-obit/}}</ref>

He graduated from [Prairie View A&M College](/source/Prairie_View_A%26M_College) in 1956 and received its Distinguished Graduate Award. He earned his Master of Science degree in 1961 and his Ph.D. degree in 1964, both at the University of Texas.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=San Jacinto News-Times (Shepherd, Texas) | date=November 17, 1977 | page=1 | title=U of T library dedicated | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99426004/perry-library-edu/}}</ref><ref name=intern>{{cite news | newspaper=The Austin American (Texas) | date=May 3, 1967 | page=13 | title=UT Prof Chosen For Internship | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99424907/perry-intern/}}</ref>

== Career ==

After graduation, Perry taught at Prairie View A&M and [Southern University](/source/Southern_University). In 1964, Perry joined the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Texas.{{r|intern}} He was promoted to associate professor in 1969.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=Austin American-Statesman (Texas) | date=September 19, 1969 | page=45 | title=150 Promotions Announced Thursday for UT Faculty | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99425275/perry-promotion/}}</ref>

For the 1967–68 academic year, Perry was selected by the [American Council on Education](/source/American_Council_on_Education) for an academic administration internship at [Drexel Institute of Technology](/source/Drexel_Institute_of_Technology).{{r|intern}}

== Personal life ==
Perry and his wife, Jean, had three daughters.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=The Austin American (Texas) | date=December 15, 1970 | page=29 | title=Ervin Sewell Perry | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50508751/obituary-for-ervin-sew-ell-perry-perry/}}</ref> Perry died in Houston on December 14, 1970, of cancer.{{r|obit}}<ref>{{cite book | last=Goldstone | first=D. | title=Integrating the 40 Acres: The Fifty-Year Struggle for Racial Equality at the University of Texas | publisher=University of Georgia Press | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-8203-4085-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Py0twYbZZ0C&pg=PA141 | access-date=April 9, 2022 | page=141}}</ref>

== References ==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Ervin}}
Category:Prairie View A&M University alumni
Category:University of Texas at Austin faculty
Category:1935 births
Category:1970 deaths
Category:20th-century American engineers

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ervin Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ervin_Perry) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ervin_Perry?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.