By Hannah Shirey ’22, editor
Wayne Perry is no stranger to LVC; he is a storied-career head volleyball coach and a recent hall of fame inductee—and now, a novelist.
Perry published his paperback novel “Father Time on 80” in mid-November. A few days later, it was ready for purchase on Amazon.
“Father Time on 80” is described as “a fast-paced ride weaving through the lives of two fathers, who happen to be father and son. It is an uplifting tale of loss and love. It will take you into the depths of a man’s saddest moments then to his most exhilarating experiences.”
Although Perry had the idea of writing a novel about eight years ago, he only began writing his novel two years ago. The timing worked out well because when he started writing, he was retired; his retirement made him feel no pressure to finish the novel, and he was able to write without experiencing any mental blocks.
Perry had two inspirations for the novel: his yearly drives with his wife on Route 80 and the passing of his father in 2012. These two visions evolved into a final 243-page novel about life and dealing with death.
“It [“Father Time on 80”] provides enlightening viewpoints most younger readers would not typically think about, so I think they would like it,” Perry said. “For baby boomers like me, it is perfect—I’ve had a few read it and they really enjoyed the story.”
As Perry wrote the novel, he decided to toss out the outline and let his creative side takeover. It was at this point in his writing journey that Perry was able to fully dedicate himself to his novel. Having such dedication is nothing unusual for Wayne Perry.
Perry served as the architect of LVC volleyball since it was established in 1987. He went on to coach the women’s volleyball team for over 34 years—talk about dedication!
Perry was an extremely successful collegiate volleyball coach, having a 671-382 overall record. However, when asked about his biggest accomplishments as a coach, his response had nothing to do with wins at all.
“First, we never had a player become ineligible due to grades,” Perry said. “I’d say that is incredible for 34 years as a varsity squad. Secondly, in those 34 years, we had only two ACL injuries. In a sport where that type of injury is very common, it gives me pride knowing we were doing a good job with training and athlete safety.”
It was because of his dedication and commitment to his players that Perry was inducted into LVC’s Hall of Fame on October 14, 2022.
“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame was amazing,” Perry said. “I couldn’t believe all the encouraging emails and notes from former players, parents and volleyball people.”
Perry says that his next venture may be writing a volleyball book with his wife who served as his assistant coach at LVC. Until then, he is focused on the publication of “Father Time on 80,” which is now available for purchase.