Perry
Anyone who met him realized right away that Val Perry was a person who got the job done. Whether during his long career with IBM, or as vice president at Equifax in his second career, Perry made an impression with his convictions, his vision and his ability to lay out an issue and convince others to be in agreement.
Perry passed away last February from a lingering illness, but he will be remembered for a long time as former president and board member of the Lake Lanier Association.
The association came together in 1966, a vision of founder Jackie Joseph, who served as president for the first 47 years of the organization.
“As it is with all organizations, LLA would never have come into being without its founder’s vision,” said board member Clyde Morris in remarks at the group’s recent annual member celebration. “But as organizations evolve and mature, there comes a time when a founders’ initial vision is no longer enough. Eventually it becomes apparent that a new vision, or a bigger vision, is necessary for an organization to continue to grow and really be effective.
“And so it was when Val Perry emerged from the shadows of a sleepy, little homeowners association to transform LLA into arguably the most important steward of Lake Lanier.”
Joining the board of directors in 1999, Perry served for a number of years as executive vice president, becoming president when Joseph retired in 2013. He served as president until his own retirement from the board in 2016.
Board member Clyde Morris honors the late Val Perry.
“For nearly 17 years, Val was the face and the voice of the Lake Lanier Association,” Morris said. “It was Val who had the vision of the association to sue the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to mandate that new wastewater treatment plants utilize the best available technology in their wastewater returns to the lake. And it was Val who willed LLA to success before the Georgia Supreme Court, securing safe drinking water and a cleaner source of recreation for everyone in North Georgia.
“Val also played a key role in resolving the Water Wars between Georgia, Florida and Alabama, helping elevate the lake’s importance as one of the most important economic drivers in the Southeast.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that LLA would never have taken on those Herculean challenges – and made the leap from an obscure little group of folks with a wish to protect their lake into the strong, accomplished, and influential player it is today – without the vision and leadership of Val Perry.”
To commemorate Perry’s contributions and service to Lake Lanier and its constituents, the group created the Val Perry Award, given to the organization’s Business Sponsor of the Year.
United Rentals was recognized by the inaugural award at the member celebration. United has donated tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of machinery such as excavators and the manpower to operate them for the association’s two most recent Shore Sweep events.
Val Perry photo: file photo, Meeting Photo: by Alan Hope
