Art Perry of George Perry & Sons, Inc. was inducted Thursday into the San Joaquin County Agricultural Hall of Fame.
The special moment occurred at the 40th annual dinner event held at the Robert Cabral Ag Center in Stockton.
Perry along with Kimberly Ledbetter Bronson (Vino Farms), Robert Panella Sr. (Panella Trucking), Rodney & Gayla Schatz (Peltier Winery), and the late Frank Faffel (Port Stockton Nursery) were honored for their contributions to the area’s great and storied ag heritage.
“Our Agricultural Hall of Fame marks the efforts and history of those who have gone before, those who have graced our homes and enriched our hearts, and those who in the days past laid the foundation upon which we build for today and tomorrow,” said the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce via social media on Monday.
Art Perry is a lifelong Manteca resident who grew up with a passion for agriculture at a very young age.
He’s the son of George and Violet Perry and a 1962 of Manteca High, where he was active in the local chapter of Future Farmers of America.
Perry went on to major in dairy science at California Poly-San Luis Obispo as he served as Ag Council President, vice president of the Alpha Zeta Honor Ag Fraternity, and competed nationally on the dairy judging team.
Art Perry returned to Manteca in the mid-1960s with initial plans of becoming a teacher. But, rather, he joined the family business, George Perry & Sons, working alongside his brother George Jr., expanding from selling watermelons and pumpkins grown by local farmers into a year-round produce marketing company.
“Today, under the fourth generation of Perrys, George Perry & Sons ship more than 1,000 loads of watermelon and 1,000 loads to pumpkins each year, sourcing from growers across Mexico and California,” said the SJC Ag Hall of Fame.
Art Perry has played an instrumental role as a pioneer in agricultural innovations.
He helped develop higher quality and sizing standards for watermelons and pumpkins that are now used today.
He introduced new varieties, adopted drip irrigation, and advanced harvesting techniques to ensure both higher quality and greater efficiency.
In addition, Art Perry’s leadership in seed trials has provided critical insight for the industry.
He was also played an instrumental role in starting the first Manteca Pumpkin Fair back in 1974.
Perry and his fellow inductees have served as “wonderful example of people working together and continuing a tradition that has been handed down throughout the years from people who had to sacrifice a great deal, both personally and physically, to nurture our land and our community,” said the SJC Ag Hall of Fame organizers.
