Perry is the short one. Please don't ask me who the tall one is.
In 1910, as construction was set to begin on the first buildings at Rice, the architects of Cram Goodhue and Ferguson sent Albert Curtis Perry to Houston to serve as Clerk of the Works. In that capacity he was required to be on the job site day in and day out, acting as overseer and Rice’s representative with the contractor. Perry was already experienced at the job, having worked in the same capacity at West Point. Like Wilmer Waldo, who was in charge of the topographical and drainage aspects of site preparation, Perry was a Princeton man, a 1905 graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering. He only stayed on this assignment for about a year, leaving Houston in the middle of 1911 to oversee the construction of the Graduate College at Princeton.
While he was here he took pictures. Here is one of the most interesting. It is, obviously, very, very early:
I got these photos and quite a few others from Perry’s great grandson, Stan Bullington. I am extremely grateful to him for sending them to us. My favorite wasn’t taken on campus, but rather on the way there:
Bonus: A.C. Perry’s great-great grandson, Nick Bullington, is a freshman baseball player at Rice this year. He graciously, if a bit bemusedly, sat still for me to take his picture this afternoon.
He’s a great kid, polite and friendly. I hope he tears it up.