Bockstruck Scholarship Recipient
by Stephanie Bennett
Donald “Donny” Perry has been named the 2026 recipient of the Dallas Genealogical Society’s Bockstruck Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. This prestigious award will support Donny’s attendance at the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference in Sharonville, Ohio April 29-May 2.
As the largest in-person state genealogy conference in the United States, the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference offers unparalleled opportunities for education, networking, and access to expert resources. Donny selected this conference for its strong reputation in providing specialized research tools—particularly for Ohio—and plans to focus on migration research, exploring patterns of movement both within the state and across the broader United States.
Donny brings decades of dedication to the genealogical community. He volunteered for 25 years with the Dallas Genealogical Society at the Dallas Public Library and played a key role in relocating the genealogy collection during the library’s 2002 renovation under the guidance of Lloyd Bockstruck, for whom the scholarship is named.
In 2022, Donny joined the library staff as a circulation specialist at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. He advanced to the Genealogy & History Division in 2024, and in October 2025, his deep knowledge of the collection, strong research expertise, and outstanding customer service earned him a promotion to Public Service Specialist.
