Mitzi Ann Lowe Perry papers

Collection

Identifier: SC-SC Mss. Coll. 116

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Mitzi Ann Lowe Perry papers primarily document student life and the choir at Centenary College of Louisiana, where Perry was enrolled from fall 1951 to spring 1957. The collection includes a scrapbook, correspondence, photographs, printed items, a Centenary Choir luggage tag, and a Centenary Choir jacket.

The scrapbook (1951-1954) includes many photographs of the Centenary Choir, candid scenes on campus, and Chi Omega. The photographs document choir tours and performances in New Orleans, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Two photographs depict students and employees at a school in Mooringsport, Louisiana, in 1953. The scrapbook also includes newspaper clippings, postcards, and programs.

Correspondence includes a letter on Centenary College Choir letterhead from the director, A. C. “Cheesy” Voran, about Perry enrolling at the college (1951). Printed items include Perry’s diploma from Centenary (1957), Maroon Jackets luncheon program (1960), and Alumni Loyalty Award (2003).

Dates

1951 - 2003

Creator

Perry, Mitzi Ann Lowe, 1932-2024 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Physical rights are retained by the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.

Biographical / Historical

Mitzi Ann Lowe Perry (1932-2024) is the daughter of Joseph Olandus “Lannie” Lowe (1894-1991) and Aubye Lowe (1900-1981). Mitzi grew up in Haynesville, Louisiana, and enrolled at Centenary College of Louisiana in fall of 1951 as a member of the class of 1955. She was a member of the college’s choir, Maroon Jackets, and the Iota Gamma Chapter of Chi Omega women’s fraternity. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Centenary in 1957. Throughout her life, she remained connected to Centenary including the choir and alumni board as well as twice chairing homecoming celebrations. Perry received the Centenary Alumni Loyalty Award in 2003. In 1973, she earned a Master of Education degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She worked as a teacher in Caddo Parish and served as a leader in the Caddo Teachers Association and Louisiana Teachers Association. She later worked at Werntz and Associates for more than twenty-five years, initially as an actuary and consultant, then becoming their first female vice president in 1985. In 1953, she married Bruce Arden Middlebrooks. In 1976, she married John Hewitt Perry.