Mr Perry, who had health problems related to diabetes, was 89.
He acquired a controlling interest in The Guardian in 1967, which he maintained up to 2002, when the paper became fully Bahamian-owned. Mr Perry was described as having lived an extraordinary life, spanning nearly nine decades and made a name for himself as a respected publisher and undersea marine explorer and researcher. His family also owned the Palm Beach Daily News and the Palm Beach Post from 1947 to 1969. Having worked at each newspaper for a considerable amount of time as a publisher, he was also a trailblazer for automated newspaper production and cable television in Palm Beach County.
In an interview with Palm Beach Life Magazine in 1989, Mr Perry said, “I want to put into life more than I take out of it. I don’t see why I can’t do something as significant as Thomas Edison.”
He did in fact, achieve wide fame as an inventor with a number of scientific innovations, including the first
two-man submarine. The vessel, which he designated “Cubmarine”, was built in his garage in the 1950s.
He also established the Perry Institute for Marine Science on Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas, a private island which he also owned.
It is believed that the institute provides the only shared marine science partnership between two nations, The Bahamas and the United States.
B.J Deveaux, a former Guardian Lifestyles Editor and a close acquaintance of the Perry family, said that Mr Perry lived a remarkable life and that it was an honour to have known both him and his wife. The inventor/publisher had a great love for the ocean and committed much of his life to finding ways to preserve the beauty of bodies of water all around the world. He also researched and sought to find ways to replace fuel and developed a “zero emission vehicle, known as ‘The Green Car,’ a fuel cell/battery hybrid electric vehicle that presaged today’s hybrid cars.”
Mr. Perry is survived by his wife, J. Helena Perry; a brother, Farwell Perry and three daughters.
His body can be viewed from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday at Quattlebaum Funeral Home, 1201 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach. Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 3395 Burns Road, Palm Beach Gardens.
By: VIRAJ PERPALL, The Nassau Guardian
