Lucille Perk, 82; Spurned Invitation to Nixon White House
Lucille Perk, 82, who was said to have declined an invitation to the Nixon White House because it was her bowling night, died Saturday in Cleveland of congestive heart failure.
Perk was the widow of Ralph J. Perk, mayor of Cleveland from 1972 through 1977. He died in 1999.
Pressed for an explanation why his wife did not accompany him to a White House dinner with President Nixon in December 1972, the mayor explained that she was bowling. Perk later said she didn’t attend the dinner because she would not have had time to get her hair done.
Born Lucille Gagliardi in Cleveland, Perk was an active participant in her husband’s political career.
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