Father and Daughter Join Forces to Promote Deerfield's Future with Bequest and Scholarship Fund

Mike Perry '72 attended Deerfield for a post-grad year he calls "transformative," given the growth he experienced and the confidence he gained. "I learned how to apply myself, how to push myself. I learned that I could do the work - and do it well. But I needed the support and guidance of my teachers to get there. The Deerfield faculty is incredible, and I appreciated and admired their commitment to every student."

Deerfield was Mike's father's idea. As a schoolteacher, he was familiar with the Academy and knew Mike could thrive here - if they could afford it. "Financial aid allowed me to attend," says Mike.

Mike enjoyed a successful career in institutional advancement, leading the fundraising efforts of several renowned institutions, including Deerfield, to which he devoted 18 years. He knows that financial aid remains the key to reaching kids of the highest promise and potential. "If we want Deerfield to be accessible and affordable, the funds have to be there."

For Mike's daughter Joy '01, who grew up on campus, "Deerfield feels like home." When her dad approached her about establishing a family scholarship fund, she was "all in." Mike and Joy have determined that a Perry Family Scholarship Fund will be established at Deerfield after Mike's death through a bequest. Because Deerfield athletics were very important to Mike (basketball) and Joy (crew), the fund will include a preference for supporting student-athletes.

Until the family fund is established, both Mike and Joy will support financial aid through directed Annual Fund gifts. "We don't think many people realize that they are capable of doing something like this as a planned bequest," Mike says.

Joy received a BA from Wellesley and an MBA from the University of Virginia and is currently a Boston-based investment manager. In her spare time, she volunteers as a Deerfield Class Agent. "So much of where I am today is the result of the people I met at Deerfield," she says. "I grew up in an environment that encouraged me to stretch and be the best version of myself. Deerfield has been such an important part of our lives, so we're helping to ensure that others have the same access to those foundational years."

"This gift is my way of saying how important my time at Deerfield was," says Mike. "The financial aid I received came from those who came well before me. I hope this inspires others. I hope all alumni will consider what their experience meant to them."