Richard D. Perera ’54

Dick, a beloved physician and amateur musician known as “Dr. P” in the Berkshires, died Dec. 3, 2021.

He came to us from Hotchkiss, where he was active in football, orchestra, and band.  At Princeton he majored in biology, was active in the Pre-Med Society, joined Dial Lodge, and was a leader of  The Roundhouse Eight band.

After earning a medical degree at New York Medical College and residencies in New York and Boston he joined Berkshire Medical Group in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1962, where he practiced internal medicine for more than 50 years. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1967 to 1969, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. He met Evelyn Lewis during one of his Boston residencies, and they married in 1961.

As assistant professor at UMass Medical School, Dick was a widely admired teacher and mentor. He was honored as Community Clinician of the Year by the Massachusetts Medical Society, Berkshire District. Dick reluctantly retired only after a stroke at age 80.

He loved bicycling and music, played trumpet and cello, and was an avid photographer and patron of the arts.

Dick is survived by his three children, Rosie, Rick, and Jane; grandson Isaac Stein; and three generations of nieces and nephews. Along with his wife of 55 years, Evelyn, he was predeceased by his sister, Emily.