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Wednesday, August 11, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER B1 f Ik * first of = irstdetH Your Ultimate Oakville Website L iv in g in O a k v iile .c o m Oakville Beaver Focus Editor: WILMA BLOKHUIS 845-3824 (Extension 250) Fax: 337-5567 P erk in s P a ssa g e Park dedication honours Oakville family B y W ilma Blokhuis BEAVER FOCUS EDITOR rhe Perkins family, known for their greenhouse business from 1924 to 1973, were honored Friday after­noon with the dedication of Perkins' Passage. The new park was formerly a section of the Oakville Humane Society's drive­way property between Maple Avenue and Cornwall Road. Perkins Passage, a 1.8-acre park, is near the original land owned by the family. The dedication, intended for the immediate family and a few friends, turned out to be a neighbourhood reunion of "people Dad knew," says Janet Windmill of Oakville, "once the word got around." She is the 'middle child' of Eldon and Jessie Perkins' three daughters - and the only one who stayed in town. However, the other two, Kathleen Lett of British Columbia, and Linda Nokes of Peterborough, were in town for the park dedication as were another 17 members of the Perkins family plus four aunts and uncles. "Some of us haven't seen each other for years," said Kathleen. The park dedication and neigh­ Frank and Nellie Perkins, seated, and their children from left, Eldon, Erla and Orman, circa 1924. bourhood reunion brought back many memories. Frank and Nellie Perkins, and their three chil­ dren - Eldon, Erla and Orman, came to Oakville from Toronto in 1914. Ten years later they took over an existing greenhouse and florist businesses on Macdonald Avenue and renamed it Perkins and Sons. Eldon remained with the business, and took it over following Frank's death in 1957. Nellie died years later in 1975, having lived into her 90s. "Mom and Dad lived in the same house where our grand­ parents lived," remembers Janet, "upstairs and down­ stairs." Kathleen remembers being "sent downstairs for cheese. I'm the oldest so Mom and Dad always sent me downstairs to get cheese from my grandparents." The family run business became known for its fresh cut flowers, bedding plants and hot house tomatoes. Eldon's three daughters made bouquets and corsages for weddings and funerals, often making the deliveries as well. "People would go down­ town to pick up milk and stop by the greenhouse at 5 o'clock to pick up a pound tomatoes," said Janet. "Quite often Dad would pick them for them as they waited." (See'Perkins. . . ' The Perkins sisters - Kathleen Lett of British Columbia (from left), Janet Windmill of Oakville and Linda Nokes of Peterborough. The daughters of Eldon and Jessie Perkins were on hand for the dedication of Perkins Passage on Friday. AT LEFT, the garden along in front of the Perkins and Sons property on Macdonald Road was the pride and joy of Eldon Perkins. *r,e Sungl«»sses ySu want to Si D ig ita l D A TA to G o A n y th in g yo u c a n d o a t y o u r dask , yo u can n o w d o a n y w h e re ! • C heck a n d reply to e m a il •S e n d a n d receive Faxes •B row se the In te rn et !®a RcalTime Real Benefits Anytime Local C d ln g $79 $159 Other rate plans also available. NOKIA introduces the world's first tri-mode CDMA digital PCS phone! • Up to 175 minutes ta lk time * 125 hours standby * Backlit display * Internal modem for PC data /fax applications * 32 rings, including popular song melodies • Vibe alert * 200 Memory locations * Alarm Clock, calender, calculator and 4 games jNATIONAk ! 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