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Active octenegarian dies following fall
Hayden Perry, 85, died early Wednesday as a result of a fall in the courtyard of his home at Redwood Gardens, a senior citizens’ residence on Derby Street.
Born in England, Mr. Perry was a lifelong political activist, a union organizer for the Typographical Union and writer. He penned a recent “perspective” piece in the Daily Planet in opposition to the death penalty.
He came to the U.S. in 1929 and during the hard times of the ‘thirties, worked as a printer and typographer when he could, riding the rails and traveling in search of work when he couldn’t.
He was a familiar figure in Berkeley, riding his bicycle to meetings and taking it on trains to attend demonstrations all over the Bay Area or going to Sacramento to testify on behalf of a wide range of left causes. Last year, he went to Seattle to join protests against the World Trade Organization.
On the day before he died, Mr. Perry had been working at the Berkeley headquarters of the Gray Panthers and planning his next project.
Mr. Perry’s friends at Redwood Gardens are planning a memorial for him, but have not yet set a date.
