Rockdale in Milam County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

George Sessions Perry

Photographed By James Hulse, November 12, 2022

1. George Sessions Perry Marker

Inscription. The son of Andrew and Laura Perry, George Sessions Perry was born May 5, 1910, in Rockdale. In 1933, he married Claire Hodges of Beaumont. Four years later, he published the first in a long line of fiction and non-fiction stories and novels, many of which were based on people and events from his growing-up years in Rockdale. As a World War II correspondent, he brought first-hand accounts of the war to readers of "The New Yorker" and "The Saturday Evening Post". Perry won several major awards, including the 1941 National Book Award, before his death in 1956-57.

Erected 1992 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 7993.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is May 5, 1910.

Location. 30° 39.384′ N, 97° 0.044′ W. Marker is in Rockdale, Texas, in Milam County. Marker is at the intersection of Ackerman Street and East Cameron Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Ackerman Street. The marker is located in front of the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 Ackerman Street, Rockdale TX 76567, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Baptist Church of Rockdale (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Kay Theater

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(about 500 feet away); Site of Mundine Hotel (about 600 feet away); Railroads in Rockdale (about 700 feet away); International & Great Northern Railroad Passenger Depot (about 700 feet away); Matinee Musical Club (about 800 feet away); First Christian Church (about 800 feet away); Old City Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rockdale.

Also see . . . Perry, George Sessions (1910–1956). Texas State Historical Association

George Sessions Perry, writer, the only child of Andrew and Laura (Van de Venter) Perry, was born on May 5, 1910, in Rockdale, Texas. Orphaned at twelve, he was reared through his adolescent years by his maternal grandmother, an autocratic and irascible woman who was the model for a major character in his prize-winning novel, Hold Autumn in Your Hand, and the title figure of his later book My Granny Van. Rockdale and the surrounding area furnished the setting for nearly all of his fiction. Perry attended Southwestern University, Purdue University, and the University of Houston but never received a college degree.
Photographed By James Hulse, November 12, 2022

2. George Sessions Perry Marker
At Southwestern he met his future wife, Claire Hodges, and in 1931 he returned from traveling abroad to marry her and move back to Rockdale. Insulated from the worst effects of the Great Depression by a small inherited income, Perry spent the next six years writing six novels and more than fifty short stories about rural and small-town Texas and the semifeudal system of tenant farming that prevailed at the time.

(Submitted on November 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the George Sessions Perry Marker from the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, November 12, 2022

3. The view of the George Sessions Perry Marker from the street

Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 100 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 17, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.