Contact: Karie Patton
A Mississippi State University professor is receiving the Mississippi Education Computing Association's Technology Teacher of the Year Award.
John F. Perry Jr. is a professor in the department of technology and education. He is the fourth member of the MSU department to receive the annual honor.
The award is given by the state's only organization for professionals using computer technology as a learning tool. It recognizes persons "who have fostered and promoted the effective use of technology in the classroom and have made significant positive contributions in the field."
Along with a commemorative plaque, Perry received a check for $1,000 for the distinction.
A Winfield, Ala., native, Perry holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Alabama and a doctorate from the University of Arkansas. He joined the MSU faculty in 1972.
MSU colleagues Patti S. Abraham, Larry S. Anderson and Anna L. Hillman are past award winners. To date, no other university in the state has been included on MECA's teacher of the year awards roster.
"I am extremely pleased for our department as much as I am for myself," Perry said. "I think it shows people across the state the value of what this department does. To me, that says we are doing our job and doing it exceptionally well."
Perry said the award is "the highest honor the organization can bestow upon a member, and to me, it's the apex of what one can be recognized for in Mississippi after a 30-year career in this area."
During more than a dozen years in the MECA, he has served as the organization's president and a member of its board of directors.