Longtime NATSO member and former NATSO Hall of Fame recipient Lamar Perlis passed away July 8, 2025, at the age of 100.
Lamar, and his wife Jackie, are considered one of the husband and wife teams who built the truck stop industry. Former White House press secretary Ron Ziegler, who also served as president of NATSO, called Perlis the ‘Hilton of truck stops.’
In 1971, at age 46, Perlis opened Perlis Truck Stop in Cordele, Ga., a nationally known truck stop that he built after serving his country in World War II and after serving his family as a partner in the family clothing business. He later purchased and operated a second truck stop in Cusseta, Ala. In 1980, Lamar organized the Heavy Duty Distributors truck parts business. Perlis served as chairman of NATSO in 1981.
Perlis was inducted into the NATSO Hall of Fame in 2011. The award recognizes current or past NATSO members whose participation in their communities, the industry and the association brings honor to and serves as a source of pride for the travel plaza and truck stop industry.
Lamar was a graduate of Cordele High School and Georgia Tech. He served in World War II, stationed in China. After graduation, he entered the family business. He became involved in all types of commerce including Retail Operations, Shopping Centers and Commercial Real Estate Development, Banking, and Truck Stops. Lamar served as President of the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congregation, was a member of the Kiwanis Club, Chehaw Council of the Boy Scouts, and was a Freemason and Shriner. He strived to be a credit to his community.
A Graveside service will be held Friday, July 11, at 1:00pm in the Fitzgerald Hebrew Congregation Section of Evergreen Cemetery, Fitzgerald, GA.
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