THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 17, 1994 TAG: 9406170516
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940617 LENGTH: CHESAPEAKE
She used the fierce chin-to-chest stare as a tool to raise 14 children - all of whom earned their diplomas - in a small, brick home with sky-blue steps.
{REST} ``It's the kind of look that is you're sitting in church talking, her eyebrows shoot up and her cheeks go down,'' said her youngest, Cameron. ``And you know you better be quiet because when you get home, you're in for it.''
Mrs. Perkins has watched all 14 of her children walk across the stage to get their diplomas at Deep Creek High School. But when Cameron graduated Thursday night, she also took honors for her 41 years of maternal guidance.
``Mrs. Beatrice Perkins, a widow, has raised her family in the Deep Creek community as a single parent,'' Principal Nathan T. Hardee told a crowd of about 5,000 graduates and their families. ``I commend Mrs. Perkins for a job well done.''
Hardee has watched each sibling graduate from Deep Creek High, starting with Roderick in 1971. Cameron was the last.
``We've never had any trouble with the Perkins kids,'' he said. ``They've been very, very good and outstanding as far as character.''
Mrs. Perkins, a tall and imposing woman, single-handedly raised the kids after her husband, William Randolph Perkins, died of a heart attack in 1982 at age 49.
The two had met in 1948 when she was 12. He playfully pushed her at a baseball park in Norfolk, and she got mad.
``I asked him if he was crazy,'' she said. ``He said sorry. He was being fresh.''
She wasn't allowed to accept company, but William was allowed to walk her from the park after games. Their love blossomed, and four years later, they were married. They settled in Deep Creek, and their first child, Roderick William, was born Nov. 8, 1952.
Less than two years later, Sharon was born, followed by Muriel, Andre, Valerie, Joycelyn and Victoria. They are the ``first seven.'' The ``last seven'' are Kimberly, Tracey, Lorri, Darius, Farley, Elton and Cameron.
The bills weren't always paid on time, but the family always made do.
``I had a very good husband,'' Mrs. Perkins said. ``When he got paid, he came home and we counted and separated the bills. This was for this. And this was for this. That is how we made it.''
With a television inside and cars in the yard, the siblings thought they were rich, said Andre Perkins, 37, a mechanic at Virginia Natural Gas.
``My mother and father created such a good environment,'' he said. ``We were poor but didn't know it. I never knew until later that families went on vacations.''
Mrs. Perkins, 58, retired several years ago from her job delivering parts for a contractor and now lives at home with a few of her children. Her husband's Social Security checks expired when Cameron turned 18, so her children, who now pitch in, will be her sole support.
``I'm afraid to tell how much they give me, because I don't want other people to expect the same of their kids,'' she said, laughing.
Working hard is nothing new to the Perkins family. All of the children took jobs in high school, and their mother encouraged them to do more.
Cameron, for example, works several nights a week at Hardee's, plays drums at his church and competed in varsity basketball, football and track. He plans to attend Virginia State University in Ettrick this fall and major in biology.
Mrs. Perkins takes pride in each child. The walls of her home are covered with framed, color portraits of the siblings in graduation dress and with their families.
Her strictness, she said, came from love. She only wanted her children to get an education, find good jobs and be happy.
Keeping 14 children in line, however, meant making strict rules - no telephone calls after 8:30 p.m. and absolutely no lip. Those rules were swiftly enforced.
Cameron, for example, dreaded his return home after a scuffle with a schoolmate. His mother was ready and waiting. He was sent to the kitchen, where he scrubbed, sponged and wiped all day long as his mother hovered nearby.
``When he was done, he was mad and evil and ready to go to bed,'' she said.
Her warnings - and The Look - were enough for most of the children.
``I told them, `You know how I look at home with my hair standing on end,' '' Mrs. Perkins said, laughing. `` `If I have to go to school like this, you'll be embarrassed. If you're in trouble, I'm not going to try to look my best.' ''
The Perkins siblings are now adults, and many of them are raising their children the same way. Some, of course, have perfected The Look.
by CNB