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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us August 30, 2005 Perry was much more than his end By Kathy Petersen Ashland The headline about the death of a local Ashland man due to suspected drug overdose was a sad, startling, newsworthy and ugly story. Could the paper have reported this story differently to spare the family more pain? Probably not; the truth was reported and the truth was ugly. Unfortunately, this story sits on the surface of lives that have been deeply scarred by this incident, and two of those lives belong to the children of the man who died. Though reporters provided details of Thomas Perry’s death, they were not privy to nuances of his life. I first met Tom’s family, his then-wife Tina, and her two children, Nicole and Trevor, at the Ashland YMCA in a gymnastics class 10 years ago. Our children became fast friends and in true Ashland fashion, the moms in the class formed a weekly play date. The details of Tom Perry’s accidental death failed to acknowledge, in a meaningful way for his children’s sakes, personal attributes that their father possessed that they can keep and treasure in their days to come. What about reporting the part of his life that shone so brightly that two intelligent, wonderful kids came to be? Tom Perry’s sad story splashed across the front page of the newspaper certainly can conjure many different images, but there is always more to these stories. Tom was an educated man, extremely successful in a business he built himself in Southern California. He was a hard working, responsible man. While residing in Ashland, Tom was an avid golfer and bicycler. He actively participated in Ashland’s annual bike race/rally. He was known to be extremely generous, donating his expertise in the field of engineering to fellow community members. He was a proud father and a good provider for his family. He had a right to be proud; his two children are both smart, gracious, and strong. His ex-wife, Tina, has been a lady through it all, maintaining her family through tough times. I can imagine it might be difficult for Tom’s young son to return to school in a few weeks in light of the publicity surrounding his father’s death. I hope this family takes comfort in the knowledge that no family is immune to the cancer of addiction; no one is above it, or below it. I choose to remember Tom Perry as he was at his son’s fourth birthday party. Tom hauled the kids down a hill in a little red wagon which was roped to his waist, galloping like a pony. The sun on his face, his enjoyment was born from the pure joy of seeing his son laughing on his birthday. There is honor in every man. Tom Perry’s family deserves to realize his honor. I sincerely hope that our community will live up to its reputation and embrace this hurting family now. Letters to the Editor and Guest Forums should be e-mailed in text-only format to [email protected]. Please include your address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached for confirmation. Submissions cannot have run in any other publication. Letters are limited to 250 words, Guest Forums are limited to 600 words, and may be edited for length, content and clarity. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams