Perrin arrived at GPUS in 1960 as a freshman. He had previously attended school in Detroit and although he was new, he remembers his fellow students being extremely friendly and welcoming. 

While at GPUS, Perrin was an outstanding athlete who led his teammates to victories on the varsity football, basketball and baseball teams. He was the school's starting quarterback for three years and led the team to break nine school records. He set three individual school records in football and one in basketball, and also led the GPUS baseball team his senior year with a .405 batting average. His athletic talents rightfully earned him a spot in the Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

“More than anything else, GPUS showed me a culture of success,” Perrin said. “Being around so many intelligent, confident people opened my eyes and made me realize how many opportunities there were in the world."

After leaving GPUS, Perrin attended the University of Michigan where he received a degree in political science. He then received an MBA from the University of Massachusetts and held various positions in the telecommunications industry. This work helped him realize the potential opportunities of paging and cellular technologies and led him to found PageNet in 1981. 

Perrin was one of the earliest leaders in the industry, and he helped grow PageNet into the largest wireless messaging company in the world. At its height, PageNet had more than 10 million pagers in service and more than 90 offices across the U.S. In addition, in 1982, Perrin also founded CellNet, a major applicant and recipient of cellular telephone licenses in the top 90 markets in the United States.

After stepping back from the day-to-day operations of those companies in the mid-90s, Perrin maintained a presence in the industry. He served as a consultant and served on the Boards of several private equity companies. He was also a member of the LSA Visiting Committee and the President’s Advisory Committee at U of M. 

In recent years, he and his wife Dominique moved to Iowa to be closer to their son and his family. 

Perrin looks back on his GPUS years fondly. He is still close with many of his classmates, and he credits the school with helping him imagine bigger things. 

We look forward to celebrating George's remarkable career during Alumni Weekend on May 16 & 17, 2025.