FREDERICKTOWN – Calling from her home on Tuesday afternoon, Betty Weller began to choke up.
It had been less than 24 hours since news broke that Luke Perry, a 1984 Fredericktown High School graduate, had passed away.
After graduating from Fredericktown, Perry quickly became a turn-of-the-century TV sensation. He was best known for his lead role in the smash Fox series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” where he played Dylan McCoy, the bad-boy heartthrob.
But all Weller could think about on Tuesday was Perry’s first big gig – as Fredericktown’s plucky, red-feathered mascot, Freddie Bird.
“He had an outgoing personality. He was funny,” said Weller, who taught keyboarding and business classes at FHS for 30 years. “He would be somebody who liked to be in front of people.”
In Weller’s voice stirred a mix of sadness and pride. It was the voice of a village in mourning, as Fredericktown was, and still is.
Perry died at the age of 52 on Monday after suffering a massive stroke on Feb. 27. According to a press release from his publicist, Perry was surrounded by friends and family, including his two children, Jack and Sophie, and his fiancé, Wendy Madison Bauer, at the time of his passing.
Perry was born in Mansfield but spent most of his childhood in Fredericktown. He moved to Los Angeles after high school to pursue a career in acting. It didn’t come easy for the Knox County native, who worked odd-jobs while auditioning for TV roles. In a 2013 interview, Perry said he was turned down 256 times before scoring his first soap opera gig in 1987.
His career took off once he landed the “90210” role in 1990. Perry went on to star in a long list of movies and TV dramas, including the CW series “Riverdale.”
While celebrities and politicians expressed their remorse on Monday following Perry’s sudden death, the tragedy took a personal toll on the actor’s hometown.
Fredericktown Mayor Jerry Day said village residents are still “shocked” about Monday’s news.
“People are saying, ‘Man, he’s only 52, what happened?’” Day remarked.
Weller added that in such a small town, “everybody knew (Perry).” She noted the “hundreds” of Facebook posts she’d seen from Fredericktown graduates offering their condolences.
“It’s just really sad. It just really got to me today,” said Weller, whose son died from cancer at the same age. “You just don’t expect it. 52 is too young. Especially when he had a bunch of years ahead of him.
“You don’t get very many people from around here who go on and make it big. I was kind of surprised.”
Fredericktown Local Schools issued a press release on Monday afternoon, offering condolences to Perry’s family and friends.
“His memory is still very much alive in our district,” superintendent Matt Chrispin said. “FLS will always be proud to be Luke Perry’s alma mater.”
Chrispin said the district may honor Perry in the future, but it is currently “waiting for the dust to settle.”
“The community is still shocked because of suddenness of his death, I think folks are still reeling a bit,” Chrispin said. “We want to do something well thought-out and maybe include his family in that.”
The same went for Day, who said the village is waiting until it learns more about funeral arrangements to make a decision.
Fredericktown’s favorite son
All things considered, Perry spent a relatively small portion of his life in Fredericktown. But according to those who knew him, he made the most of every minute.
Scott Mast, the Fredericktown Community Fire District chief, graduated in the same class as Perry. There were less than 90 people in the class, Mast said, and he vividly recalled the way Perry stood out from the pack.
“Luke definitely had that kind of personality that maybe stuck out a little bit from everybody else,” Mast said. “(He was) kind of a free spirit; loving, easy-going. He was fun to be around because you never knew what to expect, in a good way.”
Weller echoed Mast’s sentiment, adding that Perry was “willing to try anything.”
Perry’s “claim to fame” at FHS, according to Weller (who taught all three Perry children), was when he arrived to a Fredericktown home football game in a helicopter. Dressed in full Freddie Bird attire, Weller said he landed the helicopter at the 50-yard line before the start of a game. When he hopped out, the crowd erupted.
“He was always thinking of something different to do,” Weller said with a chuckle. Weller’s stepfather worked at Kokosing Construction, she said, which was how he was able to get ahold of the helicopter.
Weller was the high school cheerleading coach at the time, which meant she was technically in charge of mascot management. She couldn’t remember if Perry told her ahead of time about his mid-air stunt.
“He probably did it on his own, knowing Luke,” she said laughing.
While Perry was involved with drama club in high school, most remember him for his legacy as Freddie Bird. He was the second student to take on the role after Weller brought it back into existence years earlier.
The first student was Kurt Eshelman, whose mom made the old costume by hand. The bird’s head and wings were made up of hundreds of red plumes. The mascot wore yellow stockings with yellow bird feet, red football pants and a white shirt with the Fredericktown ‘block F’ in the middle.
This was where Perry’s personality came to life, Weller said. He was active and engaging with the fans who attended home sporting events, and he enjoyed passing out candy and balloons to the community’s youth. He would let the kids pluck his red feathers, Weller said, if doing so brought them joy.
“He was very interactive with the people and the kids especially,” Weller recalled. “They loved the Freddie Bird.”
As Perry left for California and began his acting career, Fredericktown tuned in.
Weller recalled the day in 1987 when Perry was set to appear on his first daytime soap opera, “Loving.” FHS did not own many televisions at the time, but Perry’s younger sister, Amy, brought a TV from home so their class could watch during study hall.
“That was a big thing,” Weller remembered.
From afar, Fredericktown watched Perry in admiration. Mast remembered being impressed by Perry’s perseverance, as he was turned down hundreds of times before finally receiving an opportunity in the ultra-competitive film industry.
“Luke had a goal early on it seemed like, and he had the fortitude and attitude to persevere and achieve that goal,” Mast said. “I had a lot of admiration for a person that can do that kind of thing.”
As Perry’s celebrity grew, he stayed true to his Knox County roots. Just ask Day, who became emotional on Tuesday when talking about Perry’s hometown pride.
“He helped put Fredericktown on the map,” Day said.
For Day, like many others, Perry’s impact was personal.
In 2004, Day was running for county sheriff. One night, he received a call from Perry, who offered to help his campaign by making an endorsement video. He ended up using connections he had made in California to make a professionally edited video, which aired on local TV stations.
“He had never forgotten me,” Day said. “He remembered me even though he was many miles away. He still remembered me and wanted to do something for me. That meant alot to me, knowing that he wanted to do it.”
Day, who spent 35 years working at the Fredericktown Police Department, met Perry back when he was in high school (on good terms). Even after Perry launched his acting career, he still stayed in touch. Perry would return home on occasion (he typically tried to keep a low profile, Day noted), and stopped by Day’s house several times.
It was this personal, lifelong connection between Perry and his hometown that made Monday’s news so heartbreaking, Day said. Perry loved Fredericktown and Fredericktown loved him back.
“‘I graduated from Fredericktown and I went out there and I made something of myself.’ That’s all he ever talked about,” Day recalled. “That’s what he wanted to do.”
