Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Jackson County elected officials to get pay raises ... Making ancient stories new again ... Former firefighter accused of theft from District 3 faces charges in Virginia ... Jackson County elected officials to get pay raises ... Making ancient stories new again ... Former firefighter accused of theft from District 3 faces charges in Virginia ... VOLLEYBALL A life to be celebrated Medford resident, former Olympian Perry honored as all-time great Time has not always been kind to Mary Perry. By MARK VINSON MailTribune.com By MARK VINSON Posted Jul. 16, 2009 @ 2:00 am Updated Jul 21, 2009 at 2:44 PM By MARK VINSON Posted Jul. 16, 2009 @ 2:00 am Updated Jul 21, 2009 at 2:44 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Time has not always been kind to Mary Perry. Slowed by age and a variety of ailments, the body that once moved with quickness and agility around the volleyball court now employs the use of a walker to move from one room to another. The legs that once won distance running events now move haltingly. But time cannot take away the memories nor dull the accomplishments that the Medford resident accumulated over the course of nearly four decades. And time can't diminish her love for a game that brought her so much joy and so many friendships. Yes, volleyball was good to Mary Perry. And in return, she was good for the game. Perry, now 66, is a two-time Olympian who later coached at then-Southern Oregon State College. She was honored by the United States Volleyball Association this spring at a banquet in Minneapolis as one of four recipients of the Flo Hyman All-Time Great Player Award. It's akin to enshrinement in a hall of fame, with 71 former players, coaches and contributors — including 30 women — having received this distinguished honor. "I was absolutely floored," Perry says of learning she had been selected. "It was wonderful to see Mary with her contemporaries and seeing people come up to her and everybody remembering the good old days," says Sue Schilling, Perry's partner of 30 years. "To be honored like that among your contemporaries is really special. I have been to other awards ceremonies with Mary, but this was really special, to have the volleyball people in the know to honor her." A native of Burbank, Calif., Perry was something of a pioneer in volleyball as it emerged in the collective consciousness of sports fans. She was a member of the U.S. team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics — when volleyball made its debut in the Games — and again in 1968 in Mexico City, making her one of only five players to compete on both teams. The U.S. women did not qualify for another Olympics until the '84 Los Angeles Games. Though her U.S. teams failed to medal — finishing fifth out of eight teams in Tokyo and eighth in Mexico City — Perry still has two Pan American Games medals: a silver from 1963 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a gold from 1967 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Perry was a first-team All-American and most valuable player of the USVBA tournament in 1968 and a member of the national team from 1962-69. "She was at the top of the sport all through the 1960s," says former Olympic teammate and good friend Linda Murphy, one of the members of the All-Time Great Player selection committee. "She was an important person on the team on and off the court." Despite standing a rather diminutive 5-foot-8, Perry played the entire floor, starting at left outside hitter and staying on the floor through the back-row rotations. The youngest of four siblings and the daughter of decathlete Douglas Perry, Mary's venture into the world of athletics began as a distance runner. She started playing volleyball at the urging of a track coach at Pierce Junior College in California and fell in love with the sport. There were no college scholarships for women athletes in the pre-Title IX era, however. So Perry attended Arizona State University during the week, then drove to Southern California on weekends to compete on a club team known as the Renegades. "It was something you do because you love it," she recalls. Perry's talents weren't limited to the volleyball court. "She learned how to whistle the Brazilian national anthem," Murphy says of their time together at the 1963 Pan Am Games in Sao Paulo. "She could still do it at the reunion" of team members held a few years ago. Perry played on numerous national teams through the 1960s, including one that toured across Canada in 1965 for a series of matches against an emerging powerhouse from the Soviet Union. But she saw limited action in Mexico City, as the American coaches chose to go with a taller lineup. "Volleyball in '68 was kind of transitioning to the sport that it is now, except for the way they keep score," Perry says. "We were doing the quick attacks, we had great defenses and really good setters. "I don't think it's just a tall player's game. You still have to have quickness and people who can really do the job." After the Games, Perry returned to California and earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from Cal State-Northridge in 1971. While there, she played not only volleyball, but also basketball, tennis, track, golf, field hockey and fencing. "I liked every sport," she says. "And I knew I was going to be a teacher, so I wanted to learn how to coach every sport." Following graduation, she accepted a teaching and coaching position at Punahou High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. She coached the volleyball team for 10 years, including winning a state championship in 1973. During the latter stages of her tenure there, one of the school's students was a young man named Barack Obama. Perry, however, doesn't recall interacting with the future president on the large campus. It was at a distance running event in Hawaii that Perry first met Schilling. The pair moved back to the mainland in 1982, and Perry coached a variety of high school and club teams and one season at the University of California. She and Schilling came to Ashland in 1986, and Perry coached the SOSC junior varsity as an assistant to head coach Jo Widness. "I tried to get a high school position, but it didn't work out," she says. "In this valley, it's really tough to break into. I certainly found it that way. I looked at Arizona, but I wanted to live here in Oregon. I love the recreational opportunities here and the people are so nice." Perry spent two years coaching the Ashland Middle School team and earned a master's degree in psychology from SOSC. She spent eight years working as a therapist for geriatric patients at the Jackson County Mental Health Authority and also taught in the SMART program at Roosevelt Elementary. "I kind of let coaching go," she says. Five years ago, Perry was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a chronic and progressive degenerative disease that impairs motor control, speech and other functions. The illness restricts her mobility but hasn't diluted her mind nor dampened her spirit. "I can't do any sport," she says. "I belong to a book club. As far as movement goes, it's just been taken away. It's been hard." But nothing can ever take away the memories of a lifetime in volleyball. "I wish younger women would be aware of those who have gone before them," Perry says. "I feel like a lot of women take for granted the fact that they have scholarships and things. And I'm totally for them. I think it's a great thing. But people worked really hard to get to that place." Mark Vinson is a freelance writer. To comment on this story, call 776-4479 or e-mail [email protected] By MARK VINSON MailTribune.com By MARK VINSON Posted Jul. 16, 2009 @ 2:00 am Updated Jul 21, 2009 at 2:44 PM » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football NFL Draft Prospects with Instant-Impact Potential Apr. 9, 2016 at 9:59 pm Biggest Fantasy Football Winners, Losers of NFL FA So Far Mar. 23, 2016 at 10:24 pm calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501