Evelyn Ware Perkins

Evelyn Ware Perkins, known to many as “Miss Perkins,” made history in 1947 when she became the first elected female member of the LASERS Board of Trustees.

Receiving more than 4,000 votes from retirement system members, she began her two-year term on the Board during the early formative years of the System.

At her very first Board meeting, Miss Perkins proposed creating a handbook for employees that would explain important provisions of retirement law and benefits available to members. Her recommendation became an early prototype for what would later evolve into the LASERS Member’s Guide to Retirement — an example of her strong commitment to employee education and communication.

Miss Perkins’ dedication to state employees was evident throughout her distinguished public service career. In 1937, she became the first Personnel Director for the Louisiana State Department of Public Welfare, serving in that role for 27 years.

Beyond her agency leadership, Miss Perkins was widely respected throughout Louisiana state government for her expertise in personnel management and organizational leadership. In 1958, she received the prestigious Charles E. Dunbar Career Service Award in recognition of her outstanding public service.

She also:

• Chaired the state offices fundraising campaign for the American Red Cross
• Served on the Louisiana Personnel Council Board
• Frequently spoke at professional meetings to share her knowledge of management and personnel practices with other state agencies

Before beginning her career in Louisiana state government, Miss Perkins worked in New York as an assistant in research and statistics for the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) Company, which at the time was among the largest corporations in the world.

In that position, she worked alongside federal authorities to help establish minimum employment standards for a department with approximately 1,000 employees.

“Since that time,” she proudly noted, “no one had been employed that did not meet the minimum standards.”

Education and academic achievement were central values in the Perkins family. Born in Mississippi in 1899, Evelyn moved to Baton Rouge with her family at the age of 16 when her father, William Robert Perkins, joined LSU as an extension forage crop specialist. He later became director of the Agricultural Extension Service.

Miss Perkins enrolled at Louisiana State University, then known as the “Old War Skule” and located in downtown Baton Rouge. While attending LSU, she was active in:

• Kappa Delta sorority
• The Y.W.C.A. Cabinet
• The Coed Club

She graduated in 1919 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.

After briefly teaching in Lake Charles, Miss Perkins returned to Baton Rouge in 1920 and continued her education through graduate studies in psychology and mathematics at the universities of Alabama, California, and Louisiana.

Historic records also show that during the 1930s, she taught in Mississippi public schools while living with her parents in Poplarville after her father returned to Mississippi State University.

Throughout her life, Miss Perkins remained deeply involved in civic, professional, and community organizations, including:

• Business and Professional Women’s Club
• Altrusa
• YWCA
• Foundation for Historical Louisiana
• Republican Club
• First Presbyterian Church
• Study Club

She became well known within Baton Rouge civic and social circles for her professionalism, intelligence, and dedication to public service.

Tragically, Miss Perkins died in 1971 at the age of 71 after being struck by a vehicle on Government Street in Baton Rouge while walking home from Calandro’s grocery store.

Although her life ended unexpectedly, Evelyn Ware Perkins left behind a lasting legacy. As the first woman elected to the LASERS Board of Trustees, she helped pave the way for future generations of female leaders within LASERS and Louisiana state government.

Her professionalism, leadership, and commitment to improving the lives of state employees continue to be reflected in the women who serve and lead the System today.