Paul Perkovich
Harford County teacher and coach was longtime athletic director at C. Milton Wright High School
Paul “Perk” Perkovich, a teacher, coach and athletic director in Harford County public schools, most recently at C. Milton Wright High School, died Sunday of an apparent heart attack. The Joppa resident was 53.
His wife, Jennifer Gmeiner Perkovich, said her husband was a disciplined jogger who typically began his day on a running route near their home. He was found on that route.
Born in Pittsburgh, he was the son of Joseph Perkovich and his wife, Mary Scheibel.
He was a graduate of Greensburg Central Catholic High School and obtained both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from West Virginia University. While in school, he played basketball and baseball.
He lived in Norristown, Pa., while teaching at the Pathway School in Jeffersonville, Pa. He then moved to Maryland and began teaching at Edgewood Middle School and later at Edgewood High School. He taught physical education and coached girls softball and football and basketball.
“When I interviewed Paul and I said, ‘ What sports?’ he said basketball and football. I said, ‘I don’t have anything in that but I’d like to get you involved.’ I gave him, as I remember, [ junior varsity] soccer and JV softball,” said Bob Slagle, former Edgewood coach and athletic director. “He took programs that weren’t very good, but as you watched them practice and watched the kids, you could see that this was a person that knew exactly how to coach. He knew how to communicate and he was responsible.
“The next year I got him into football and basketball and he became a very valuable addition to my staff and became my number-one assistant,” Mr. Slagle said. “He was intense, but the kids loved him.”
“During his time at Edgewood High in the late 1990s, he touched so many young men’s lives,” said his wife. “I hear from them frequently.’
While at Edgewood he met his future wife. On their first date, he came to her door with a gift: a Washington Redskins cap.
“That was quite a concession from a Steelers fan. It was an icebreaker for the first date,” she said. She recalled that after a dinner in Owings Mills, they visited Fells Point. They married in 1999. Mr. Perkovich moved to C. Milton Wright in 2000, where he took over the boys basketball program. He served as athletic director there from 2006 to 2017. Under his watch, the Mustangs won team and individual state titles in boys soccer, cross country, field hockey, swimming, boys basketball, wrestling, softball and track and field.
Former Edgewood coach Debbie Basler was a co-worker and friend of Mr. Perkovich, and later became supervisor of athletics for Harford County schools.
“One of the best memories I have is watching him on the sideline of the basketball court when he was coaching,” Ms. Basler said with a chuckle. “He would pace and probably work out more than those kids did on the floor. … He would joke about it afterwards, once he settled down from whatever happened on the court.”
“He was just a genuine person, like there was no agenda. Just a hard worker, cared about the kids and just wanted them to reach their potential. I think if you talked to any of his players, probably one of the biggest things that they’ll say about him is that he pushed them or had confidence in them when they didn’t.”
Mike Thatcher, principal at C. Milton Wright during Mr. Perkovich’s tenure as athletic director, recalled his colleague as “loud, but he was loving.”
“You think being loud, he would be drawing attention to himself, but totally the opposite. He was very unassuming; let the coaches and the kids get all the glory,” Mr. Thatcher said.
“I was lucky enough to know him when he got married to Jennifer, it was early in our careers together,” he added. “He was here for the right reasons. Put the kids first, put his family first, whether it was the C. Milton Wright fam- A colleague recalled Paul Perkovich as “loud, but he was loving.” ily or his own.”
Tim Lindecamp, athletic director at Aberdeen High School, said that when he took the position, he looked to Mr. Perkovich for advice.
“I was constantly bouncing questions off him. He never complained, was always there for help,” Mr. Lindecamp said. “I also did this when I took over the weight training program at Aberdeen. Perk wasn't just someone I called for help, he became a good friend.
“I can't express not only the loss I feel, but the loss to the C. Milton Wright community. Perk will be terribly missed, but never forgotten.”
Viewings will be held at 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at E.F. Lassahn Funeral Home, 11750 Belair Road in Kingsville. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church in Bradshaw, where he was a member.
In addition to his wife of19 years, a fitness director, and his parents, survivors include a daughter, Paulina Perkovich; and a son, Jensen Perkovich of the family home; a sister, Susan Burriss of Rochester, Minn.; and nieces and nephews.