Landmark Mississippi State cafeteria is now Perry Hall

Mrs. Jane Perry visited with President Emeritus Bill Giles, right, and President Donald Zacharias recently.

Mrs. Perry made the gift in memory of her late husband, George D. Perry, a 1919 graduate of what was then Mississippi A&M College.

The state College Board in November voted to name the cafeteria building Perry Hall in recognition of Mrs. Perry's gift and George Perry's long association with his alma mater.

The cafeteria, in constant use since its construction in 1922, is still the mainstay of campus dining services, providing thousands of meals daily to students, faculty, and visitors.

With its imposing Gothic arches, massive wood beams rising 50 feet above the floor, and a length of 368 feet, it was for years the largest college cafeteria in the United States.

George Perry maintained close ties to the university until his death in 1992. He was president of the Alumni Association in 1946-47, Alumnus of the Year in 1972, and a founding member and president of the Mississippi State Foundation. Mr. and Mrs. Perry also provided funding for the tower and carillon at the Chapel of Memories on the university campus.

Perry owned and operated a plantation in Tunica County and was for years the president of Tunica County Bank. He helped develop Mississippi Chemical Corp. and Coastal Chemical Corp., and was a director of both, as well as First Mississippi Corp.