AT HOME IN HOUSTON COUNTY 2018

Never forget
where you
came from
By KRISTIN MORIARTY
HHJ Staff Writer
While Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Senator
David Perdue have served in political office for several years,
one thing that never changes for them, as cousins, is never
forgetting where they came from. In doing so, both agree that
it has led them to blessings from their life lessons and family
roots of meaningful, purposeful work.
said. “Both of our mothers were longstanding teachers in the
Houston County School System and had proper expectations
of us. Our fathers had very high expectations of us as well. We
would have good grades, but it was always, why couldn’t you do
better? So we were always improving in a way that drove us in
positive way to be the very best you could in all you did.”
Secretary Perdue was born at Doctor Gallemore’s Clinic in
Downtown Perry and raised in Bonaire. He attended three
elementary schools due to the county’s growth and rearranging
of school districts, Westside Elementary, Lindsey Elementary,
and C.B. Watson Elementary. He went on to Warner Robins
Junior High and then graduated from Warner Robins High
School.
Senator Perdue was born in Macon, Georgia and raised in
Warner Robins. He attended Lindsey Elementary, Westside
Elementary, Northside Junior High, and graduated from
Northside High School. The two recall memories of growing up
together.
“We come from a big extended family,” Sen. Perdue said. “No
matter what, we always got together every chance we had. But
I mainly would spend my summers with Sonny on his father’s
farm. If you look in the Webster’s Dictionary for the definition
of responsibility you will find a picture of Sonny. I remember
watching Sonny at a really young age in the field working, and
then straight from there he would put on his uniform to go to
little league practice. The way we grew up and the principals we
were embedded with at an early age gave us degree to never
forget where we came from. And I think that’s really important
with public service.”
Both Sec. Perdue and Sen. Perdue’s mothers retired after
teaching for over 40 years in the Houston County School
System. Sen. Perdue’s father was also a teacher, principal, and
was the School Superintendent for several years. Sec. Perdue’s
“David and I grew up in that era of the glory years of the
1950s and 1960s where you did whatever it took,” Sec. Perdue father operated a dairy and diversified row crop farm.
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At Home in Houston County
8-11 Perdues Story.indd 1 10/25/18 3:14 PM