More detail on this person: 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
Published in Austin American-Statesman on
January 30, 2011
Lewis Weldon Wright III, Colonel, U.S. Army
Retired, age 77, passed away peacefully on
January 24, 2011 at Seton central Hospital. Wright
was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1954. 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.
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