威廉·P. “配音”赖特

石油主管，长期担任HSU BOT主席

威廉·Parker “配音”赖特 was born November 21, 1905, in Alvord, 德州. 当他还是个小男孩的时候, Wright’s family moved to Abilene where he attended school for a short time before the family relocated to Dallas and finally to Oklahoma. He graduated from Oklahoma City High School and then attended the University of Oklahoma to study medicine before changing to business administration and transferring to Baylor University.

In 1927, 因为他父亲的生意有了转机, a lack of funds forced Wright to give up his college career. He began work for Gulf Oil Corporation in Waco at the lowest rung of the ladder—a service station attendant. Despite the difficulties of the Depression, Wright soon climbed that ladder to the top. After a variety of promotions over the next several years, 包括销售人员, 审计师, and finally marketer in charge of sales for the north half of 德州, he resigned his salaried position and purchased the Gulf Oil Corporation distributorship in Abilene in 1935. Wright became a self-made oilman before the age of 30.

At his side during his rise to the top was his wife, 莉莲Bruyere, whom he had met when they were both students at Baylor. They were married in 1929, and became the parents of three children, William Jr. “Bill” was born in 1933, and their daughters, Gayle and Linda followed soon after.

In addition to his oil concerns, Wright was active in other business ventures. In 1947, he purchased, with Bert Chapman, the Pontiac dealership in Abilene, Wright-Chapman Pontiac. He also served as president and director of the Citizen’s Broadcasting Company, 谁拥有KWKC电台, and was a director of Oil Center Broadcasting Company which owned KRIG of Odessa. In 1949 he became a partner in the Abilene Truck Terminal, now known as the Tye Truck Stop in the Tye community, and in 1942 became a director of the Citizen’s National Bank.

Wright served as director of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce from 1939 to 1941 and from 1944 to 1946. As chairman of the Chamber’s 军事 Affairs Committee from 1941 until 1945, he spearheaded efforts to see that Camp Barkeley was located near Abilene during World War II. The military installation injected an additional million dollars into the local economy, providing a cushioning effect against drought common to the area.

In 1952, as an expression of their gratitude for his service to the community, Abilene named him the Outstanding Citizen of the Year, and in 1960 was honored by the Abilene Board of Realtors as the Outstanding Citizen of the Year. 他是阿比林狮子俱乐部的成员, 西德克萨斯和阿比林商会, 阿比林乡村俱乐部, 中西部德州石油和天然气协会, 以及中大陆石油和天然气协会. He was a 32nd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a charter member of the Abilene Petroleum Club. He also served as director and vice president of the 德州 Petroleum Marketing Association. And Dub and Lillian were members of Abilene’s First Baptist Church for more than half a century.

In 1955, Wright partnered with his son to form Western Marketing Inc., a firm with wholesale and retail gasoline operations throughout the Abilene area and truck service centers in three states. When Abilene set out during the early days of the Korean War to secure a military installation, Wright was automatically a leader of the project. The connections he had developed in securing Camp Barkeley for the area paid off, and Abilene was chosen as the site for Dyess Air Force Base.

As a tribute to Wright’s efforts to bring the Air Force Base to Abilene, 有两家戴斯工厂是以他的名字命名的. The Wright Drop Zone is used by the 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing and the Wright Lodge is used by 96th BW alert crews for visitation with their families while on alert duty.

在戴斯建成很久之后, 赖特仍然是它最坚定的支持者, 继续参与Dyess社区. He received the Exceptional Service Award from the Air Force in 1965, 授予平民的最高荣誉之一. As an added display of Abilene’s appreciation for Wright’s strategic part in developing Dyess Air Force Base, the City Council changed the name of Arnold Boulevard, 是什么把交通带到基地, 到Dub Wright大道.

Wright also served in numerous fund campaigns which benefitted such organizations as the Red Cross, 社区的胸部, USO, 女青年会, 和基督教青年会. 作为一个孩子, Wright had been a member of the first Boy Scout troop formed in Abilene, and as an adult served as chairman of the local Boy Scout finance committee in 1936-37, and was national council representative for the Boy Scouts in 1945.

Wright was on the Hardin-Simmons Board of Trustees from 1945 to 1976, fifteen years as chairman—the longest tenure of any HSU chairman. His chairmanship, which included all the presidency of Dr. 鲁珀特·N. Richardson, was a time of great advancement for the school.

杜布·赖特于1985年6月20日去世. His legacy lives on in the successes of Dyess Air Force Base; the community of Abilene, 德州, 在中文博彩平台的大厅里.

It is the high honor of Hardin-Simmons大学 to recognize one of her own and to formally induct W.P. “配音”赖特进入哈佛大学领袖堂.