Perry Baldwin Alers

Perry Baldwin Alers (95) died November 2, 2021 of natural causes at Collington in Mitchellville, MD. Perry was born in Bisbee, AZ to Perry Albert Alers and Helen Josephine Alers (nee Baldwin) on March 24, 1926. He was their first child, followed by his brother George Armand (1928) and his sister Anna Jean (1930). Perry’s father was a mining engineer and maintained the pumps at the Copper Queen and Lavender mines in Bisbee. The family moved several times in the ensuing years, eventually setting in El Paso, TX where he graduated from Austin High School and continued his education at Rice Institute (now University) in Houston, TX. He was 16 when he entered Rice in 1942. And by 1943, he volunteered for the Navy and served as an Electronics Technician’s Mate on the aircraft carrier Savo Island in the Pacific until the end of the war; returning to Rice on the GI Bill where he earned a BS (’48) and MS (’50) in physics. In 1950 he travelled to Washington, DC and began his research career in the Cryogenics lab at the Naval Research Lab (NRL). His work there formed the basis for his dissertation earning him a PhD in Physics from the University of Maryland in 1955. And one week later, he married Flora Ann Campbell on June 11, 1955; remaining together until her death in 2011. His research, publication, and sabbaticals continued as the family grew - Perry Campbell (1957), Ellen Victoria (1960), and Paul Etzler (1961). At his core, Perry remained ever curious, good-humored and generous. He delighted in his friends at Collington and exploits of his children and grandchildren. He was an avid reader of histories, mysteries, and current affairs. He also loved music – particularly choral music – and sang from the time he was a boy into his 70s. Theater was another joy and he maintained long associations with Arena Stage and the Shakespeare Theatre. In all, a life well-lived and remembered with love and fondness Perry is predeceased by his wife Flora Ann “Flossie” (2011), his siblings George A. (2020) and Anna Jean (1999), and his parents Perry A. (1962) and Helen J. (1992). He is survived by his son Perry and his wife Teresa (nee Kinder), their sons Tracy and his wife Nicole (nee Zurita) and Michael; his daughter Ellen, son Paul (d. 2022) and his son Christopher. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Perry Baldwin Alers please visit our Sympathy Store.