Call Number:

MSS 0613

Repository:

University of Delaware Library Special Collections

Extent:

3 linear foot (3 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

MSS 0613, Warner Perry papers, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Date:

1900-1997 (inclusive) and 1940-1995 (bulk)

Creator:

Perry, Warner

Form:

Notes, Sales catalogs, Magazines (periodicals), Newsletters, Manuscripts (documents), Manuals (instructional materials), Financial records, Drawings (visual works), Postage stamps, and Photographs

Abstract:

The Warner Perry papers include personal records related to Perry’s life and many hobbies. The major subjects of the collection are Perry’s magic documents, his personal papers, financial information, written works, invention designs, and family photographs.

Clarence Warner Perry, Jr. was born on December 29, 1921, in Wilmington, Delaware. He attended Pierre S. du Pont High School, graduating in 1940. Perry went on to attend the University of Delaware, where he received a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1943. Upon receiving his degree, Perry gained employment with E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. (DuPont) in Wilmington as a design engineer, where he continued to work until his retirement in 1985. Perry lived most of his life in Brookside Park outside Newark, Delaware. He died on August 6, 1997.

During his employment at DuPont, Perry had many hobbies and side endeavors. Perry became an amateur magician and magic enthusiast in his youth, a subject he remained interested in throughout his life. He designed magic tricks, assembled and sold magic catalogs at his magic store, and performed as a magician himself. In fact, Perry performed magic acts on the side to help pay for his college education. In addition to his interests in magic, Perry became heavily involved in the stock market, accruing large amounts of money from his investments. As an engineer, Perry utilized his mechanical knowledge to create and design multiple inventions, although it seems he was unsuccessful in obtaining patents. He wrote copiously in a variety of genres, including journalism, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction works in the realm of science and religion. Perry was also an avid stamp collector, becoming an energetic member of the Newark Senior Center Stamp Group during the early 1990s.

Perry was an active philanthropist, especially during his later years. He provided particularly significant support for the Newark Senior Center. The center used his donations for a variety of projects including the Perry Education Wing and a fitness center.

Biographical information derived from the collection.

The Warner Perry papers include personal records related to Perry’s life and many hobbies. They are arranged in six series: magic, personal papers,

The Seventh Angel , miscellaneous works, miscellaneous catalogs, and photographs. The papers may be of particular use to those researching the field of magic, both as a hobby and as a business.

Perry’s interest in magic is one of the collection’s highlights; included are trick notes and catalogs designed and sold by Perry, trade catalogs and tricks published by others, magician lecture notes and event information, a small number of magazines and newsletters, as well as Perry’s personal jokes and patter used during his magician performances.

The collection includes much of Perry’s personal information in areas such as insurance, pension, genealogical data, and his stamp collecting hobby. As Perry was an avid investor in the stock market, his stock books, investment portfolio, and compilation of investing tips make up a significant portion of the collection.

Perry’s writing endeavors, including poetry, journalism, and fiction, make up the bulk of the collection. Of particular importance in this section are the drafts, manuscripts, research, and outlines for

The Seventh Angel , Perry’s apocalyptic and religious tale of the end of the world which he published in 1979 and again in 1993.

In addition, the collection includes outlines and drawings of the various inventions that Perry designed, as well as information related to his quest to obtain patents. Assorted photographs taken of and by Perry, as well as members of the Perry and Guibeson families, are also present.