E. Gordon Perry, Jr.

E. GORDON PERRY, JR., a native Texan, he was born in El Paso in 1912, and moved to Dallas at the age of nine. He attended Mrs. Morgan's School, Terrell School, North Dallas High School and Southern Methodist University where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. His first business was Custom Built Camera Accessories Co. where he altered movie cameras to do trick effects. He designed animation cameras for stations WBAP and WFAA. At the start of World War II he joined Geophysical Service (G.S.I.) to help design a magnetic airborne submarine detector. When G.S.I. became Texas Instruments, Gordon continued to work there as a Research Engineer with 75 patents in his name. Probably his most important contribution at T.I. was his work on the Silicon Crystal Puller that enabled T.I. to have Silicon Transistors at least 10 years ahead of the industry; in recognition for his work, he was given the second Silicon Crystal ever produced. He left Texas Instruments after 16 years and founded National Data Processing Engineering (N.D.P.) where he designed and built a scanner computer for Southwest Medical School that would reduce the analysis time of three dimensional x-ray movies of the heart to minutes instead of days. N.D.P. also got a contract with the Federal Reserve System to automate check sorting. Remington Rand later bought N.D.P. to have access to the sorter. Perry then co-founded Recognition Equipment which developed the early optical scanner. He always explained he taught computers to read. One of his page readers is in the Smithsonian Institute. He built an Automatic Teller Machine (Docuteller) and formed the company Docutel as well as Corporation S, a software company. Other companies he either owned, co-owned or was on the Board of Directors included: the Perry Boat Co., Sovereign Exploration Co., Cimarron Oil (co-founder), Videosonic Inc. (president), Wessley Energy, and International Televideos Instruments, & International Metals Co., (I.M.C.O.). As a member of Dallas Country Club, he helped form the V.I.P. International Club and was president for three formative years. He belonged to the Dervish Club, Park Cities Rotary, Civitan Club, Willow Bend Polo & Hunt Club, Tanglewood Club, Park Cities Historical Society, Dallas Art Museum, Dallas Divers, and was on the Board of the Arthritis Foundation and president of the Aquarium Society. He loved dancing and, with wife Louise, belonged to Dallas Dinner Dance, Rondo, Thalia, Carrousel, and Cadence Dance Clubs. He was able to fulfill his high school plan of retirement at age 55 giving him time to pursue his many hobbies including teaching, photography, scuba diving, fishing, boating, antique cars, videography, and enjoy the Perry summer home, the "Ivory" Tower on the shore at Lake Texoma. He relocated to Little Rock, Ark. in 2002. He was preceded in death by his wife Louise and is survived by his daughter Alice Burleson, son Gordon Perry III and his wife Leesa; granddaughters, Alice Mattox and McKenna O'Keefe Perry; and great-granddaughter, Ali Mattox. Memorials may be made to Scottish Rite Hospital For Children, 2222 Welborn, Dallas, Texas 75219, or charity of your choice. Arrangements are by Roller-Chenal Funeral Home, 13801 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock, Ark., (501)224-8300. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.