Former Town Clerk Slows Down But Stays Active

By Avice Meehan

Until a few months ago, the words “slow down” and Linda Perkins did not belong together. The indomitable town clerk and lover of Norfolk history was an unstoppable booster of the town, dispenser of permits and stickers, keeper of vital statistics and recorder of deeds.

But the 77-year-old Perkins, who first visited Norfolk in 1953 as a small child, has had to do just that.  She resigned as town clerk on Oct. 1 after serving in the role since 2010. She had been on leave since May after collapsing in Town Hall and realized, after months of recovery, she was not up to the job. Deborah Nelson, the deputy town clerk, succeeded her.

“My thinking process is just slow,” said Perkins, speaking from the former school building on the corner of Mountain Road that has been home for more than 40 years. “If I force myself to think something through, I am fine. But I can’t work in an office when I am constantly on the move.”

Having said that, Perkins is ever on the move. Most days she can be found spending time in her beloved garden or working from a kitchen table that commands a sweeping view of Mountain Road and the Battell Stoeckel Estate beyond. Perkins admits that the big window isn’t “authentic” to the house but loves it anyway.

When Perkins succeeded Ann Moses as town clerk, it represented the fourth career in a busy life that included raising two daughters as a single mother in a town that always felt like a refuge. Her mother’s sister, Florence Satherlie, founded the Laurel School (now home to the Norfolk Early Learning Center), with her husband, Earl. “I have loved this town for forever,” she said.

Born in Philadelphia, Perkins graduated from Franklin College in Franklin, Ind., with the goal of becoming a teacher. She came to Norfolk right away and became an elementary school teacher in Canton, where she met her former husband, the late Rodney Perkins. After staying home for a decade and being active in community organizations, Perkins became a legal secretary. When her father came to live in Norfolk, and she needed something more flexible, she moved on to become a travel agent. When that industry began falling victim to the internet, Perkins began looking for something else and started working for Moses one day a week. 

“I never thought I couldn’t do the job,” said Perkins, recalling the moment when Moses herself began discussing retirement. She could and she did. In the process, she became the greeter-in-chief for Norfolk and utilized every skill she acquired along the way. 

What does she miss about the job? “I miss the people. I miss feeling helpful,” said Perkins. “Someone would come into the office, and I could see tears welling up or feel the aura of someone who was hurting, and I would say, ‘Let’s go into the vault.’”

The role of informal adviser notwithstanding, Perkins took the responsibilities of the office seriously, whether it involved managing freedom of information requests, the posting of town meetings and the minutes of town committees or managing records. “You have to manage your office by the law,” Perkins concluded, sounding every bit the firm (but kind) elementary school teacher she aspired to be more than a half century ago.