College Loses "Name and Face" Gordon Perine '49 Passes Away

Author: Megan O'Keefe

Middlebury College and town communities suffered a great loss with the passing of Gordon C. Perine '49, Monday, Oct. 21. Perine quietly passed away in his home after a long illness.
A deeply touched crowd gathered in Mead Chapel the morning of Saturday, Oct. 26, to mourn the man whose name, according to President John McCardell, Jr., was "virtually synonymous" with Middlebury College over the years as a result of the hard work and dedication he gave to the school after his graduation. McCardell further emphasized Perine's deep-rooted importance to the community by describing "generations of alumni who knew that if Gordie Perine said it was so, then it must indeed be so."
After serving for four years in the Marine Corps in the South Pacific, Perine entered Middlebury in 1946. During his first year he met Alice Neef '47, and the two were married in June 1948. In 1951, Perine returned to the College as assistant director of admissions, and made a home with his wife in Middlebury in 1952. After five years in admissions, he served as alumni relations director for 20 years, and senior development officer for 17 years before his retirement in 1994.
In addition to his work for the College, Perine led many community activities. He served as treasurer of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church for 20 years and was director of the Middlebury Inn, the Middlebury Community House and also of Porter Hospital.
Together with Neef, he co-chaired the "People for Porter" annual campaign and the Addison County United Way Campaign of 1998.
"If I had to pick a College today, I would certainly choose Middlebury," said Perine in his 50th reunion autobiography. During his 56 years of affiliation with the College, he became one of the most trusted and devoted members of the community. "He put a name and face to the College," recounts Middlebury Magazine Class Notes Editor Dottie McCarty, "and it was sincere — he never forgot a person." Through arduous days in the office, on the road, and at frequent meetings and receptions, Perine remained genuinely cheerful and caring. His love for the College rivaled that of anyone.
Perine's memory will be long-cherished by his wife and his four children, Everett, Kenneth, Susan and Ronald, as well as by his many grandchildren.