David Leslie Perkins

David Leslie Perkins was born January 5, 1942, in Wetumpka, Oklahoma, to Martha Pearl Davis and Wilson Perkins. As a boy, he attended church every Sunday, read adventure stories, and after he and his mother moved to the city, he went to the movie theater every Saturday afternoon to see pirates and cowboys on the screen. As a teen, he worked in a grocery store and apprenticed with an electrician. In 1959, he graduated from Frederick Douglass Senior High School, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After graduation, David attended Central State College in Edmonton, Oklahoma for two years, majoring in medical technology, and joined the United States Air Force. In 1962, he graduated from a Medical Service Specialist Course and was stationed at Lakenheath, Air Force Base, in London, England. On May 19, 1962, he married his high school sweetheart, Betty Jean Greenhoward, in Washington, D.C.

David Leslie Perkins was a Vietnam War Veteran who earned the Bronze Star Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster. The Bronze Star Medal is the 5th highest medal awarded by the United States Armed Forces, earned by David for meritorious service in a combat zone. While a Staff Sergeant (SSgt) acting as a medical laboratory specialist advisor for medical service flights in the Republic of Vietnam, David attended to both American troops and the people of Vietnam. He wore the Oak Leaf Cluster denoting having been awarded the Bronze Star Medal two times.

David Leslie Perkins, as a Technical Sergeant (TSgt), earned the Air Force Commendation Medal, having distinguished himself by meritorious service as Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) in Charge of the Laboratory Services Clinic, McCoy Air Force Base, Florida. On December 13, 1976, by direction of the President, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding noncombat meritorious service. He won several awards for public speaking in NCO Leadership School and NCO Leadership Academy, and in 1976 was a Distinguished Graduate in the top ten percent of the graduating class of the Military Airlift Command NCO Academy. On July 24, 1980, he graduated from the highest level of NCO Professional Military Education – the USAF Senior NCO Academy. David ultimately achieved the rank of Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt), the second highest rank in the USAF for noncommissioned officers. Promotion to Senior Master Sergeant is the hardest enlisted promotion to acquire, as less than ten percent of eligible Master Sergeants are promoted. David retired from active military service on October 1, 1982.

David Leslie Perkins earned a Bachelor of Science from Pacific Christian College on August 31, 1982, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration (M.P.A.) from National University on April 15, 1990. He attended the University of Florida Southern College, California State University Riverside, Pacific Christian College, and National University, while maintaining full-time military employment, and subsequently, a full-time professional career.

David Leslie Perkins was a Cytotechnologist certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (CT, ASCP). After retiring from the Air Force, he continued in his role as Chief of the Cytopathology Center in the Department of Pathology at David Grant Medical Center, Travis Air Force Base, California, as a civil servant, until his retirement in 2004.

David Leslie Perkins was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason on November 19, 1982, in Harmony Lodge No. 61 of the Prince Hall Freemasons. He had the distinct pleasure of serving twice as The Worshipful Master of his lodge. He was also appointed as an officer in the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge where he served faithfully for many years, thereby being granted his Emeritus status making him a lifetime member. Prince Hall Free Masonry is the oldest recognized and continuously active organization founded by African Americans. The organization laid the foundation for African American citizenship and education, and thus for the improvement of conditions in Black America. David was also a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Exemplar Consistory No. 299, where he elevated his status to a 32nd Degree Mason. He was also a member of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Noble of the Mystic Shrine, Alcazar Temple No. 179.

David Leslie Perkins spearheaded the creation of the Prince Hall Memorial Education and Scholarship Fund in 1991 to distribute educational grants and scholarships to deserving high school students entering four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, or vocational schools. Through a competitive application process, seventeen students are awarded a total of $21,000 from the fund each year.

David Leslie Perkins was an avid reader and maintained a substantial library in the Perkins home on topics including ancient history, science, art, world religions, and African American history. David enjoyed Jazz and Blues music and amassed an extensive collection of recordings on vinyl, cassette tape, and digital CD that spanned the decades since his graduation from high school. Recognizing its societal importance, David was an early adopter of computer technology, and introduced his daughters to coding and word processing when they were in elementary school. He was a fan of science fiction, especially Star Trek. He liked watching the old westerns he had enjoyed as a boy, procedural dramas, gangster flicks, and action movies.

David Leslie Perkins and his wife, Betty, were world travelers. In retirement, they enjoyed long international cruises and took trips to more than 30 countries including Brazil, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, China, and Barbados. One of David’s most prized possessions was a bracelet he wore adorned with the national flag of each of the countries he visited and pictures of his three grandchildren.

David Leslie Perkins has four sisters: Diané Tanner, Paulette Lundy (deceased), Bridget Ann Burke, and Nazires Lynn Hammond, all of New Orleans, Louisiana. David and his wife, Betty Jean Perkins, married for more than 60 years, were blessed with three daughters: Tanya Perkins (deceased), Krista Michelle Ferns, and Shara Perkins Murphy. David’s grandchildren are daughter and son of Krista, Olivia Loren Ferns and Desmond Rhys Ferns, and Charley Pearl Murphy, daughter of Shara and her husband, Ryan Paul Murphy.

David was devoted to his family; he showered his wife with gifts every holiday, birthday, and anniversary and provided his daughters the happiest of childhoods – taking them to Disneyland every year, attending countless early morning soccer games, dusty Girl Scout camping trips, screechy elementary orchestra concerts, and anxiety-filled public speaking contests, and shuttling them as pre-teens, back and forth to the roller rink every weekend. He recorded all of these precious moments with a handheld video recorder.

David Leslie Perkins was a true optimist and he believed above all else in the power of education. He told his daughters at the beginning of each school year to, “Look, Listen, and Learn!” He always watched the evening news. He taught his daughters to be deeply proud of being descendants of enslaved African peoples and proud of their citizenship of the United States of America. David and his wife, Betty, are long-time members of Grace Missionary Baptist Church in Rancho Cordova, California.

David Leslie Perkins was an intelligent, thoughtful, loving, and affable husband, father, leader, and friend who was adored by his wife and daughters, respected among his professional colleagues, and deeply appreciated by his masonic lodge brothers and friends. His impact on his family and his community will be felt for generations to come.