Art Appreciation

Historical Summer 2018 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.

Admiration for a lifetime of community involvement and a wonderful personality led Marjorie Weir and me to envision a night to honor Art Perry, whose friendship and leadership have affected so many people in St. Louis. That resulted in the “Art Appreciation Dinner on May 21, held at the beautiful new CWE campus of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Art’s life history is a classic true story. Recounted in the St. Louis American in 2013, on the occasion of his being named the Lifetime Achiever in Health Care, his stepmother, Francis Barnes-Perry told him to get a job when he asked for a new bike. That led to work at Sun Drugstore, then to Kean Drug in 1954. “It was one year before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery Bus, the catalyst for the Montgomery Bus boycott against racial segregation. Hundreds of miles away, the racial climate in STL was much the same. Kean Drug, located at Euclid and Laclede, was in close proximity to BJ Hospital where black and white patients were seen in segregated quarters.

According to Perry, Kean Drug didn’t wait for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. .. they proudly served all customers regardless of race…’These two guys, being Jewish, were aware of their being Jewish…Jews were not accepted everywhere.

They were not of a mind to be discriminators.’” In a profile in the Webster-Kirkwood Times, Art recalled that, ‘the director of the Central Institute for the Deaf, a customer of the Keans, pleaded with young Perry: ‘Art, you’re smart. You’ve got to go to college.’ Perry took one class at SLU, then another.

His dad was furious. Why would someone sacrifice wages, accept a loan from his employers and voluntarily cut his workweek from 60 hours to 40 hours at Kean Drug, in order to attend school? It’s not about current income, said the younger Perry, the first in his family to enroll in college.

His focus was the future.

His dad had quit school after the fourth or fifth grade.

There were many years at St. Louis University, one or two classes at a time. At last heeding the advice of the Keans, he transferred his SLU credits, including many science classes, to St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

There he became one of three African Americans in his class.

As a pharmacy student, Perry continued to work at Kean Drug. And in 1972, nine years after first enrolling at SLU and after two years of putting his education on hold so he could work longer and harder to replenish his savings, he graduated from the college of pharmacy.” A dozen years later, when Kean Drug closed, Perry was enticed to work for pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly for 19 years before retiring in 2000. Art served on the College of Pharmacy Board of Trustees…to move the college toward being more active in its health outreach. ‘I’m trying to get the college to make sure they have personnel in clinics around the metro area so students, faculty and staff get experience in caring for people unlike them.’” Outside his professional life, his community efforts in the early 1970’s included helping to start the People’s Clinic, now the People’s Health Centers serving thousands of clients, originally located at 6010 Kingsbury. Many neighbors remember taking kids there for vaccinations and preventive care.

He also became a leader in his own CWE neighborhood, “inviting” many Kean Drug customers to buy homes in the neighborhood, making them feel welcomed and valued.

He worked not only to stabilize the neighborhood, but to improve it. Active for much of his life in city politics, in his “so-called” retirement, Art became President of the 28th Ward Democrats.

He has also served on the boards of Confluence, 100 Black Men, Forest Park Forever, and is currently the 28th Ward Committeeman, serving on the city’s Central Democratic Committee and as mentor to many, including Mayor Lyda Krewson and her successor Heather Navarro. Both of them spoke with friendship and admiration at the dinner on May 21. Alderwoman Navarro noted that Art had helped her as a young mother in the neighborhood, then in law school.

The Resolution honoring Art was Navarro’s first as an Alderwoman. Mayor Lyda Krewson gave Art a Proclamation detailing his many accomplishments and life history, and thanks for his friendship and leadership, topping off her presentation with a framed Key to the City of St. Louis–her first as Mayor!

There were many other speakers, including Joe Keaveny, former State Senator, who served as Master of Ceremonies for the event; old friend Claude Brown, a labor and political consultant, whose friendship with Art goes back decades; Kim Tucci, businessman and former 28th Ward Committeeman; Dan McGuire, former 28th Ward Alderman, for whom Art served as campaign treasurer for many years; Steve Engelhardt, who brought a congressional citation from Congressman Lacy Clay; Committeewoman Gail Farwell; and Dr. John Pieper, President of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

A very special guest was David Kean, one of the original owners of Kean Drugs, who hired Art and encouraged him all those many years ago. Art’s wife Carolyn and sons Brandon and Douglas were also on hand to share in the celebration. Special thanks were given to the SLCOP’s excellent catering staff Chris Lupo and Angela Hill and Events Management Macy Russell and Alexander Gargano.

The planning committee included Marj Weir, Jo Ann Vatcha, Jill McGuire, David Newberger, Lana Stein, Arline Webb, David Weber, David Whiteman, Dan Schesch, Marian Miller, Newton McCoy, Mike Gras, Anna Forder, Bob Bliss, Annette Bridges, Gail Farwell, and Arthur and Nancy Culbert.

The impact of Art’s warmth and personality, his integrity and leadership, his ability to guide others and articulate issues–all this and more are qualities we heard many times throughout the evening.

There was only warmth and friendship in that room, truly a tribute to his character.

As Mayor Krewson said, we should all be striving to make the entire city like this.

As friend Lana Stein has said, “he has taken politics very seriously, following his conscience and acting without acrimony, nurturing commonalities and downplaying dissimilarities.” Dwight Bitikofer in a recent West End Word gave this apt description: Art Perry–An Extraordinary Octogenarian.

If you ever doubt the impact one person can make, remember the legacy of Art Perry.

Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Summer 2018.

Read this article in the original newspaper issue.

Archival transcription note: Includes long explicitly attributed excerpts from twenty thirteen St. Louis American and Webster-Kirkwood Times; original author/date and republication rights not supplied. Preserve credits and request publisher review before treating full excerpt as cleared.

Original source: SD_Times2018_06.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.