John Peri, a developer and real estate investor who lived for more than 40 years in Long Beach, once rubbed elbows with baseball great Jackie Robinson at a political function for Nelson Rockefeller when he ran for governor of New York during the 1960s.

Robison was the first black player in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, and his famed career led him to induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He was intimately involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and he became a nation director for Rockefeller's presidential campaign in 1964. Two years later, he served as a special assistant for community affairs when Rockefeller ran for re-election, possibly around the time when this photo was taken.

It was during these years that Peril moved to Long Beach, settling in a home on West Park Avenue. He built some 1,000 homes from Queens to Holbrook to San Remo, Italy. As an investor, Peri owned and rented about 100 houses, mostly one-family structures, on Long Island and Florida. One of his tenants was actress Thelma “Butterfly” McQueen of “Gone with the Wind” fame, who lived in South Jamaica.  

Peri owned several houses and cottages in Long Beach, including about four waterfront homes. He gave some homes to people for free.

“He was a generous person who helped many less fortunate people regardless of race or religion,” said his son, John Peri, an attorney from Long Beach.

Peri died in 2006. He was 92.

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