By Hunter Fenollol<\/p>\n
A Manhattan street just two blocks from Central Park now bears the name of Seaford native John William Perry, who spent his life learning, running, acting, serving and, on Sept. 11, 2001, sprinting toward danger.<\/p>\n Perry was honored on Sept. 5 with the unveiling of John William Perry Way at East 101st Street and Madison Avenue, near Mount Sinai Hospital and close to the Central Park precinct where he began his career with the NYPD.<\/p>\n For Perry\u2019s younger brother, Joel, the location was especially meaningful. \u201cHe loved New York City,\u201d Joel said. \u201cHe was more passionate about the city than he was NYPD.\u201d<\/p>\n Perry, a Seaford High School graduate, was a 38-year-old NYPD officer and lawyer who was preparing to retire from the department and practice law when the World Trade Center was attacked. Though he was off duty that morning, he rushed to the scene and was killed when the North Tower collapsed.<\/p>\n His first NYPD assignment came at the Central Park precinct, connecting the street-naming to a place where his career with the police force first began.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a stone\u2019s throw,\u201d Joel said of the distance between John William Perry Way and Central Park.<\/p>\n The ceremony brought together Perry\u2019s family, police officers and members of his Seaford community for a day that included a police escort, an honor guard and visits to several places tied to his life and service.<\/p>\n Tom Condon, chairman of the Seaford 9\/11 Memorial Committee and a longtime Seaford educator, attended the ceremony alongside Perry’s family. He knew Perry long before he became a New York City police officer, serving as his guidance counselor and track coach at Seaford High School.<\/p>\n Condon remembered Perry as a tall, lanky runner who competed in track and was deeply curious about the world around him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was really into learning,\u201d Condon said.<\/p>\n Perry attended Stony Brook University and NYU School of Law, served in the National Guard and became fluent in several languages. Condon recalled Perry speaking Portuguese, Spanish, French, Russian and English.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knew a lot about everything,\u201d Condon said.<\/p>\n Perry was also an avid runner, competing in five New York City marathons and countless 5Ks and 10Ks and was a member of the NYPD running club.<\/p>\n Acting was another one of his passions, having appeared in soap operas, films and other productions, sometimes taking roles that drew on his police background.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was really kind of a renaissance man,\u201d Condon said.<\/p>\n To his siblings, Joel and Janice Perry-Montoya, he was also a mentor.<\/p>\n Joel said he would not have become a lawyer without his brother\u2019s encouragement. All three Perry siblings eventually went to law school.<\/p>\n