Louise and Bernard Perry

A Legacy of Higher Education Investing

University of the Cumberlands is blessed with many inspirational relationships from faculty, staff and students to alumni, community members and supporters. This is a story of faithful servants who have laid out an educational investment strategy and proven commitment to the University's mission.

Louise Perry received her education in the Oakland, California, public schools. In high school, she attended trade school to learn millinery skills, and after a few years she was motivated to pursue higher aspirations with the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco.

In 1948, Louise took a job with Bank of America where she met Bernard Perry, a Kentucky pastor and World War II Air Force chaplain, recently discharged from military service. They married and went on to start a church in Red Bluff, California. They later settled in the Bay Area for another church plant in El Sobrante, California.

Bernard graduated from Georgetown College and later Southern Seminary in 1941. Rev. Perry pastored churches throughout California and Kentucky.

When her mother passed away, Louise took an early retirement, ending a 30-year career with Bank of America, and the couple moved to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Their union spanned 53 years before Bernard passed away in 2002.

The Cumberlands connection began several years ago when they met Dr. Harold Mauney, who served as head pastor of First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and was a member of the Cumberland College Church Relations Board. "Somehow," Louise recalls, "Dr. Mauney encouraged us to give to Cumberlands."

The couple liked the way Cumberlands "went about their business" more than other schools they had been associated with over the years. They valued the quality of relationships they had with the presidents and staff members, and that has made all the difference. Louise says, "As our knowledge of the Cumberlands mission grew, so increased our interest, and we continued providing support to the student programs and initiatives."

With an initial gift to the general scholarship fund in 1987, the couple went on to support the workship program, several capital building projects, an endowed scholarship fund bearing their names, numerous charitable gift annuities and an estate plan that names the University.

Today, in her 97th year of life, Louise continues to bless University of the Cumberlands students with her support and Lawrenceburg First Baptist Church with her ongoing membership and ministry.

To God be the Glory of the Perrys' union. These humble servants have left an indelible mark on the lives of countless students. They also secured a career-launching platform through their altruistic support. They continue building a legacy of investing in higher education for others to admire and follow in the future.

Like the Perrys, a gift in your estate plan can make an impact on the lives of countless students at University of the Cumberlands. To learn more, contact William L. Stohlmann at plannedgifts@ucumberlands.edu or 606-539-3571.