Lewis Weldon Wright III

Lewis Weldon Wright III, Colonel, U.S. Army Retired Lewis Weldon Wright III, Colonel, U.S. Army Retired, age 77, a loving husband and caring father, grandfather and great-grandfather passed away peacefully on January 24, 2011 at Seton Central Hospital with his wife by his side. Colonel Wright bravely endured a prolonged stand against cancer with dignity. Colonel Wright was a native of Fort Worth, Texas in the Lake Como Community. He was born in 1933, one of seven children born to Lewis Weldon II and Mattie Ola (Dixon) Wright. In his early years he joined Pleasant Mount Gilead Baptist Church in Lake Como. He was a paper carrier for the Fort Worth Star Telegram, a pick and shovel laborer for the Moore Construction Company, a dishwasher/janitor at the Camp Bowie Boulevard Skillern Drug Store, a butcher's apprentice at Sheldon's Grocery Store, and a janitor at Stripling's Department Store before graduating from I.M. Terrell High School in 1950. Wright was drafted by the US Army in 1954. He completed basic combat training at Fort Ord, California. His military schooling continued with Artillery Officer's Candidate School and Artillery Advanced and Nuclear Weapons Employment Office courses at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma; Army Flight School in San Marcos, Texas and Fort Rucker, Alabama; Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He served overseas tours of duty in Camp St Barbara, Korea; Hanau, Germany; and two combat tours in Vietnam. During his tours in Vietnam he was Platoon Commander (Snoopy) and operations officer of the 120th Aviation Company, and Commander, 200th Assault Support Helicopter Company (Pachyderm). Stateside assignments included service on the Army General Staff at the Pentagon, Office of the Chief of Research and Development; Commander 101st Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault); staff officer at the Headquarters, US Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia; staff officer at the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia and Comptroller of Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. During his military service he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with 21 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, the Purple Heart and various campaign medals. Prior to the draft, Wright began his college education at Texas Southern University for Negroes, Houston, Texas supported by his generous uncle, Mr. Floyd Dixon Sr., at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) supported by his generous uncle and aunt, Mr. Ezekiel and Mrs. Arlene (Dixon) Hopkins. Subsequently, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha; an MBA degree from American University, Washington, DC; a Masters Degree in Accounting from Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia; and he engaged in doctoral study at George Washington University, Washington, DC and The University of Texas at Austin. He also completed Senior Officer Management Training at Columbia University in Harriman, New York. Wright married the lovely Irene Solomon in 1964 in Fort Worth, Texas. To their union were born a son, Lewis Weldon IV and a daughter Carol Elaine. They began their nearly 47 year journey together consolidating their family by embracing Donice Ann, Lewistine Marie, Torres Grant and Dereather Grant, children of their prior marriages. During a turbulent decade of war, assassinations, civil rights struggle and separation, the family frequently relocated to Houston, Texas, Arlington, Virginia, Bowie, Maryland, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, Ft. McPherson, Georgia, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, Ft. Monroe, Virginia and Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Irene was in charge and coordinated many of these relocations due to Lewis's overseas military assignments. Following retirement from military service in 1982, the family moved to Austin, Texas where Wright was employed by The University of Texas at Austin; ironically, a university he could not attend at the time of his graduation from high school due to segregation. He served for 22 years, under mentorship of Dr. William H. Cunningham, in various positions at UT Austin and the University of Texas System as Assistant Instructor, Assistant Dean, Associate Vice President for Administration, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Governmental Relations and Associate Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs. In all of these positions Wright was an advocate and facilitator of equal educational, business and employment opportunities offered by the university to persons of color historically denied such opportunities. Beyond his own love of learning, Wright knew well that education, or "how the world works" as he was prone to explain it, is the indispensable foundation upon which one builds one's own quality of life, and equally important, one's capacity to contribute to the betterment of the domestic and world societies in which they live. Wright was instrumental in launching the Heman Sweatt Symposium, which celebrates its 25th year this year, and the Neighborhood Longhorns program. In addition, Lewis and Irene spent many weekends attending Longhorn football games around the country, alumni banquets, graduations and many other social events at the University of Texas and UT System. Also active in his community, Wright was a proud member of Mount Olive Baptist Church, Gamma Gamma Boule, and Sigma Pi Phi fraternity. Wright served as chair of the committee which produced "A Call to Action" plan for revitalization of Austin Downtown. He was a member of the Austin United Way Planning and Research Committee, a member of the board for the Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Center, a member of the task force to study the reuse of Meuller Airport, and a member of the board of the Austin Chamber of Commerce where he was vice chair for community development and education. Wright was preceded in death by his parents, by a sister, Louise Marie Wright Evans, and by a brother, Charles Wesley Wright. He is survived by his wife Irene (Solomon) Wright; by his daughters Carol Elaine Wright, Donice Ann Wright, Lewistine Marie (Wright) Culton and Dereather (Grant) Henry; by his sons, Lewis Weldon Wright IV and Torres Grant; by his sisters Mildred Lois (Wright) McElvy and Minnie Mae (Wright) McCloud; by his brothers Willie Edward Wright (Lena Gatterson Wright) and Julian Milton Wright (Shirley Baldwin Wright); and by a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and their families. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from six o'clock in the evening until eight o'clock in the evening on Thursday, the 3rd of February, in the Colonial Chapel of Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar, Austin, TX 78752. A wake service will begin at quarter til seven in the evening. Funeral services will be conducted at half past ten in the morning on Friday, the 4th of February, 2011 at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 1800 E. 11th Street, Austin, TX 78702; the visitation at the church will begin at half past nine in the morning. Burial will follow at two o'clock in the afternoon at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. Contributions to Mount Olive Baptist Church are deeply appreciated. The family wishes to thank the devoted and expert service of Dr. Michael Kasper and his staff at Texas Oncology for the wonderful care they provided our husband and father for over fifteen years. The family encourages all to become blood platelet donors. A man of integrity, strength, and grace, Colonel Wright was an example of God's love to his family and all who knew him. Condolences may be left at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com