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William J. Perry was born in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania in 1927. He
attended grade school and high school in Butler, Pennsylvania. He
then received his BS, MS and Ph.D. from Penn State University, all
in mathematics. From 1946 until 1955 Dr. Perry served in various
capacities in the United States Army and Army Reserves, finishing up
as a second lieutenant in the Reserves in 1955.
The business experience of Dr. Perry has spanned four decades. He
was laboratory director for General Telephone and Electronics from
1954 to 1964; founded and served as President of ESL, Inc. from
1964 to 1977; was Executive Vice President of Hambrecht & Quist,
Inc. from 1981 to 1985; and founded and served as Chairman of
Technology Strategies & Alliances from 1985 to 1993. As well, he
serves on the boards of United Technologies, Hambrecht & Quist,
The Boeing Company and several emerging high tech companies.
Dr. Perry's government service has been extensive. From 1977 to
1981, he served as Under Secretary of Defense for Research and
Engineering. 1993 and early 1994, he was Deputy Secretary of
Defense. Then from February 1994 until January 1997, Dr. Perry
was the 19th Secretary of Defense for the United States of America.
Currently, Dr. Perry is the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor
at Stanford University, with a joint appointment in the Department of
Engineering-Economic Systems/Operations Research and the
Institute for International Studies. His previous academic experience
includes Professor at Stanford from 1988 until 1993, and lecturer in
the Department of Mathematics at Santa Clara University from 1971
to 1977.
Awards have been abundant for Dr. Perry. Among others, they have
included the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1997, the American
Electronics Association's Medal of Achievement in 1980, the
Eisenhower Award in 1996 and the Marshall Award in 1997. As
well, the National Academy of Engineering selected him for the
Arthur Bueche Medal in 1996.
His wife, Lee, is a CPA. Dr. and Mrs. Perry have two sons and a
daughter living in the San Francisco Bay area, and a son and
daughter in the Washington, D. C. area. | 
