George Sessions Perry, the son of Andrew and Laura Perry, was born on May 5, 1910, in Rockdale. In 1933, he married Claire Hodges of Beaumont. Four years later, he published the first in a long line of fiction and non-fiction stories and novels, many based on people and events from his growing-up years in Rockdale. As a World War II correspondent, he brought first-hand accounts of the war to readers of "The New Yorker" and "The Saturday Evening Post." He won several major awards, including the 1941 National Book Award, before his death in 1956-57.