Perry Burgess (October 12, 1886, Joplin,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

– September 15, 1962, Unionville,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

) was an American minister, fundraiser, writer, and authority on

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve d ...

. His 1940 book ''Who Walk Alone'' won a

National Book Award for Nonfiction The National Book Award for Nonfiction is one of five U.S. annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by U.S. citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers". The panelists ...

, the Bookseller Discovery Award.

Early life

Burgess was the son of George W. and Cora Osborne Burgess. His father was a prominent businessman in Joplin. At age 16 Burgess became a preacher and eventually earned enough money to put himself through college. In 1906 Burgess married Helen Noble in Joplin; they had two children, Esther and Elizabeth. He attended

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Ar ...

in Baldwin,

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

, graduating in 1912. His first major position was as head of a national campaign for Near East Relief from 1917-1920. Over the next few years he raised money to support

Wilfred Grenfell Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell (28 February 1865 – 9 October 1940) was a British medical missionary to Newfoundland, who wrote books on his work and other topics. Early life and education He was born at Parkgate, Cheshire, England, on 28 Febr ...

's work in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and to feed German children.

Leprosy

In 1925 he met Dorothy Paul Wade, the wife of Dr. H. W. Wade, chief medical officer of the

Culion leper colony The Culion Leper Colony is a former leprosarium located on Culion, an island in the Palawan province of the Philippines. It was established by the U.S. government in order to rid leprosy from the Philippine Islands through the only method known at ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

; she had been asked by Major-General

Leonard Wood Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philipp ...

Governor-General of the Philippines The Governor-General of the Philippines (Spanish: ''Gobernador y Capitán General de Filipinas''; Filipino: ''Gobernador-Heneral ng Pilipinas/Kapitan Heneral ng Pilipinas''; Japanese: ) was the title of the government executive during the colo ...

, to raise money for new buildings and for research into a cure for leprosy. Burgess became the head of the fundraising committee, which became the Leonard Wood Memorial for the Eradication of Leprosy after Wood's death in 1927. Money from the Leonard Wood Memorial supported the Culion colony and helped build another colony on

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

and supported research at the colonies. In 1931 Burgess organized the Leonard Wood Memorial Conference on Leprosy in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, which led to the organization of the International Leprosy Foundation and the International Journal of Leprosy, for which the Leonard Wood Memorial provided financial support. Burgess travelled extensively to observe leprosaria worldwide, published articles in popular and scientific journals about leprosy, and in 1940 wrote the novel "Who Walk Alone" about a fictional American soldier who contracts leprosy while in the Philippines and becomes a resident of the Culion leper colony. The novel won the "Bookseller Discovery Award" at the National Book Awards. By about 1960 it had been translated into over 50 languages and had been published in Braille and in audio on records. He also wrote an autobiography in 1951 titled "Born of Those Years: An Autobiography". Burgess retired in 1958 for health reasons.

Second marriage

In May 1937 Burgess married Cora Turney Bateman of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, Ohio; he adopted Cora's children from her first marriage, Coralyn and John (who adopted the name Perry Burgess Jr.). They lived on the "Erie Vista" estate in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio which had been the home of Cora's grandfather."Ashtabula County’s forgotten author of Erie Vista", Carl Feather, ''Star Beacon'' (Ashtabula, Ohio), January 3, 2010

References

External links

Links to Burgess' book ''Who Walk Alone'' online (Haithi Trust)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Perry 1886 births 1962 deaths People from Joplin, Missouri Baker University alumni Charity fundraisers (people) Leprosy activists Culion leper colony People from Ashtabula County, Ohio National Book Award winners American health activists 20th-century philanthropists