Farewell Alaska writer Richard Perry
Joaqlin Estus
ICT
Richard Perry moved from his childhood home in Kentucky to Alaska in the early 2000s when his mother passed away. He worked in the nonprofit world for his first 15 years in Anchorage (including Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Southcentral Foundation, The CIRI Foundation, JW Industries and Three Star Enterprises), and became a self-employed journalist at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He wrote for many Alaska Native and Native American publications including First Alaskans Magazine, Alaska Business Monthly and ICT. He was working part-time in public relations for Perseverance Theatre. He was part of a Native artist group called Fish Head Soup, which publishes Native American comics. He was also a contributor to the graphic novel series “Chickaloonies.”
Richard died of a sudden illness April 23. He was 53.
His long-time friend Angela Łot'oydaatlno Gonzalez said, “Richard was someone I admired for being a humble and generous person, gifted writer and a doer. He put the work in for his journalistic career in his jobs including many freelance writing projects. Most recently, I got to work with him on the board of the Alaska Native Media Group where he wrote grants, coordinated a podcasting workshop and more. If he volunteered to do something, you knew it would get done. We need more Native voices in media and the literary world to help advance and change the stereotypical narratives. I will miss his writing projects, especially his recent work with “Chickaloonies” which I knew he loved contributing to.”
His friend and sometimes collaborator, playwright Vera Starbard, Tlingit, met Richard through the Alaska Native Playwright Project where they learned to write scripts.
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“Over the next year we each wrote our first full-length plays, and we even had our first readings on the same night. I honestly don’t even remember Richard’s because I was so terrified of mine coming next - but I remember everyone laughing at his comedic take. He had a knack for writing funny and endearing characters, and in all his scripts to come, those were my favorite parts.”
With others, Starbard and Perry formed Dark Winter Productions to develop and produce Alaska Native plays.
Perseverance Theatre wrote on its Facebook page, “Richard joined the PT Team in 2022, and has supported our company of artists and creatives in feeling welcomed into community, everywhere we went. A talented writer, Richard contributed to our blog, and was always available to bounce ideas and discuss creative ways to share about our work. Always a joy to be with, this loss will be deeply felt by our team.”
Richard was born July 13, 1970 at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California to Donald Perry and Christine Jacobsson, granddaughter of the well-known Yu’pik-Athabaskan storyteller Mildred Jacobsson. From birth he was coined Mildred’s twin as he possessed her calm, intelligent nature and gift for storytelling. Richard was raised by his father in Louisville, Kentucky.
Richard is survived by his wife Peggi; father Donald Perry of Louisville, Kentucky; sister June Gustafson (née Jacobsson) of Lake Iliamna, Alaska; brother Jeremy Perry of Louisville, Kentucky; stepdaughter Faith Odle of Anchorage; nephews Luke Jacobsson-Layman of Anchorage and Zach Layman, a United States Marine stationed in Camp Pendleton, California. Richard was preceded in death in the early 2000s by his mother Christine and his brother Christopher Jacobsson, who passed away suddenly just a few months ago.
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