Life Stories
Nick Marc Perry
Nick Marc Perry (1991 BA Engineering and Computer Science) died on 1 October 2024 aged 51.
Nick was born in Blackpool on 8 December 1972. He attended The Blackpool Sixth Form College and from there he made his way to Keble College in 1991 to read Engineering and Computer Science. He was sponsored by GCHQ, the only requirement for which was to work for three months each year as a student engineer. He threw himself into College life holding a variety of posts: Ball Secretary in 1993, JCR Secretary 1992–3 and Editor of the Freshers’ Handbook in 1992. He was an active member of the Oxford University Photographic Society and was the founder and organiser of the Keble Photographic Society. A popular member of College, Nick was always willing to lend his skills to help mend a fellow student’s broken bike or fridge—or to coax the temperamental JCR photocopier back into service.
In 1994, he leapt at the chance of joining Roger Boden in setting up the College’s Development Office. He played a leading role in the design and production of the brick. Indeed, he continued to do so for forty editions—long after he left the College. He reluctantly accepted that a colour format was inevitable but his true heart lay with the original black, white and red format. He also edited more than a dozen editions of the annual Record.
After university, he embarked on a career in IT Management and Technical Management with Aboard Yachts & Boats Ltd and Pendragon and set up his own publishing, IT and graphic design consultancy called Amulation.
On moving to London in 1995 he became known as ‘High Tech Nick’ in the Cinergy film and cabaret club, which showcased the early talent of acts and individuals such as the League of Gentlemen, Robin Ince, Graham Norton and Stewart Lee.
Nerd Nite London, slogan ‘Be There, Be Square’, found an inspirational speaker and team member when he joined them in 2018. He sorted out their computer systems and was invaluable during lockdown so that the group could continue by way of virtual events. He built a sound studio in his house, his ‘happy space’, to facilitate such connections for all the groups with which he became involved and there is a wonderful photo of him, headphones on, clearly relishing what he had created and the engagement it afforded him. “It is not an exaggeration to say that Nick was the beating heart of the operation. He made everything better, more organised and more nerdy” is an excellent way to sum up what Nick did.
He believed that things should be done properly, professionally and on time but he would also devote considerable energy and patience to guiding people so that they could learn from his wide range of skills and knowledge and eventually develop those skills for themselves.
These bald biographical details do not give any sense of how bright, inquisitive, witty, generous and talented Nick was. Tributes have come from a wide range of organisations to which he gave freely of his time and talent and in which he became totally immersed. The greatest compliment which you could pay him was to describe him as an anorak, pedant or a nerd; he took great delight in those attributes.
His main area of interest and commitment turned out to be town planning and there are glowing tributes from the Stoke Newington and Hackney History societies about his constant and dedicated pursuance of projects from manhole covers to conversion of derelict buildings and helping to save an impressive number of endangered pubs in the area.
In 2022 Nick directed the film ‘Women of Abney’, a Hackney Society project celebrating the stories of 12 women buried in Abney Park Cemetery. The production brought together two of Nick’s passions: local history and cinema. The resulting film played three sold out performances including the Rio Cinema in Dalston and can now be viewed on YouTube. Never afraid to pursue something about which he felt passionate, he was a founding member of the ‘Stokey Local’ campaign which opposed the overbearing supermarket and residential development adjacent to the historic Abney Park Cemetery, ultimately challenging both Hackney Council and the developer in the High Court by way of a judicial review.
Absorbing knowledge effortlessly, Nick knew the answer to every question—even when he didn’t. On the rare occasions he was caught out, it would take no time at all for him to research the answer and deliver an appropriate explanation of the issue. He built up a wealth of knowledge on town planning regulations and policies, architecture, transport, maps, trains, road signage, bollards, postcodes, telephone numbers, waterways and coats of arms to name but a few.
A prime example of Nick’s nerdery in full effect can be seen on YouTube (“Nick Perry—NE one for postcodes”), where Nick gives an eleven-minute lecture on why there are still over sixty London street signs with the NE postal district on, despite the district having been abolished 140 years ago!
It is no exaggeration to say that Keble owes a huge debt of gratitude to Nick for his participation in helping to set up the Development Office. The importance of the establishment of an accurate database, the bones of which all Development Office teams have relied upon right up to the current day, should not be underestimated. Similarly, the inception of termly and annual publications have kept alumni informed and connected to the College since he set them up in 1994. He had an extraordinary attention to detail and had strong views on how publications should be presented. His rigour about consistency in that presentation was a lesson for all to learn and implement.
Nick was a great wordsmith and anyone who knew him could not help but be charmed by his quick wit and easy banter.
He found profound happiness with his husband, Andrew Grace. They were married in August 2022 and enjoyed an all too short time together. Wordsmith to the last, he rejoiced in being able to say that they were now ‘Grace ‘n Perry’!
Kindly provided by Isla Smith, former Development Director, and Matt Edwards (1991)