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How CIL Retiree Tom Perkins Became an Author

Tom Perkins, a Real Estate Developer at CIL for nearly twenty years who retired in 2018, published a children’s book as a tribute to his childhood friend who recently passed away.

Fifty years ago, his friend told him a short story about how their family cat, Grindle, escaped from home and was found at a lumber yard in Cape Cod named Hinckley’s. Tom went to school with him, was the best man at his wedding, and they even traveled across the country together in a jeep. At the time, he joked, “You know, I should write a children’s book titled Grindle goes to Hinckley’s.”

After retiring and hearing about his loss, Tom wanted to commemorate his friend in a special way. The spontaneous title he invented had stuck with him all those years. He knew the beginning and end of his story, but not the middle. So, he locked himself in a library and just started typing. Since he had never written anything before, the process was longer and much more challenging than he anticipated. With the encouragement and assistance of his peers, editors, and illustrators, the final product was accomplished and dedicated to his friend.

Through this experience, Tom learned about artistic expression and that anyone can be an author. He remarked, "It was an unexpected accomplishment but I'm proud of it." His advice to everyone is that if you have an idea, do it without putting it off. Because the lumber yard in Massachusetts still exists, he contacted them and asked if it was okay to use their name. The owners were thrilled to be involved and asked him to host a book singing there (hopefully in 2022).

If you are interesting in purchasing a copy, you can email Tom at [email protected].