My name is Duane D. Perry, and I joined IAAGG after attending my first genealogy conference in 2014 with the encouragement of Charles Vaughn. Before the age of sixty, I was not fond of history and knew little about Black History unless taught in school or on TV. I never went searching for it. I was the father of two boys (Duane Jr. and Leland Lamar), and one girl (Latisha Danielle)--all athletes through high school. I coached Little League Baseball for 3 years. I was a leader at our church for more than 40 years, and on the board of directors there for over 10 years. I married my high school sweetheart, Lois Yvonne Causey, on January 3, 1977, and we have built a wonderful family and life together. 






Family

Is

Everything






Eight Grands

&

Six G Grands


 I was born on May 29, 1953, in Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana. My parents were Grady Stuart Perry and Jean Eloise Warfield. I have two brothers and two sisters. I attended Ft. Wayne public schools through Central High School and graduated in 1971.


 I worked at International Harvester (1973 – 1976) before enlisting in the US Air Force 1976 – 1980. After my honorable discharge, I attended ITT Technical Institute and received my degree in Electronic Engineering.


 Philips Medical System interviewed over fifty graduates and chose me. I worked for this one company for 37+ years and retired May 29, 2020.


My genealogical research started in 2013 because at that time I did not know any Perrys that I was related to. At 60 years old now, that became increasingly embarrassing. I needed to do something about that. This is what changed my life.



           I not only found this huge Perry family, but I found so much more—the love of history and meeting other people researching. I joined IAAGG, the Noxubee County Historical Society, and the Marion County Historical Society. I have done several presentations for IAAGG and its members.


           I was asked to lead a team of researchers from IAAGG to research the Greenlawn Cemetery Project and then to be a member of the Community Advisory Group or CAG for the city of Indianapolis. We are researching those Black Americans buried in Greenlawn over 150 years ago to bring them honor and a proper burial.


Now I Love History and what IAAGG is all about.