On Monday, April 23, 1934, Robert H. Wright, founding president of East Carolina Teachers Training School (1909-1921), and then president of East Carolina Teachers College (1921-1934), collapsed at his desk, the victim of a heart attack followed by a stroke. Wright was taken to Pitt Community Hospital, a private facility north of campus, where he died on Wednesday, April 25. Prior to his collapse, Wright had shown no signs of illness. The fallen president had been one of the most respected members of Jarvis Memorial Methodist Church, named in honor of the Training School’s founding father, Governor Thomas J. Jarvis. As a churchman, Wright had served as superintendent of Sunday schools at Jarvis Church and as the leader of a bible class for twenty-five years, corresponding to his tenure at East Carolina.
Yet rather than have final services in the downtown church’s spacious sanctuary, the family decided that Wright’s funeral would be held in the Social and Religious Building, also known as the Campus Building (later, Wright Building). The family’s decision reflected Wright’s devotion to the vitality and excellence of the school that he had led for a quarter of a century. On Thursday afternoon, April 26, the day of the funeral, Wright’s body lay in state in the Campus Building’s auditorium (later Wright Auditorium) from 1:00-3:00 p.m. The Student Government Association provided a guard of honor consisting of eight students, changing every twenty minutes. Wright’s casket was covered with a pall of white flowers and ferns sent by the faculty and staff of the college. The final services began at 3:00 pm. According to The Teco Echo, “Never has there been seen in Greenville such beautiful floral tributes.” The governor of North Carolina, John C. B. Ehringhaus, attended, as did the presidents of virtually every institution of higher education in the state. Tributes poured in from educational leaders nationwide.
The student body, dressed in white, attended en masse. The students, seated on the left side of the auditorium, sang one hymn, Wright’s favorite, “Sun of my Soul.” Honorary pall bearers sat on the right side. Family, faculty members, and close friends sat in the front central rows. Reportedly “a vast crowd” attended. Twenty-four female students, representing the various campus organizations, acted as flower bearers. Dr. G. R. Combs, pastor of Jarvis Memorial Methodist Church, conducted the service, assisted by Dr. Frank Dean, rector of the Episcopal Church of Wilson. The choir of Jarvis Memorial Methodist Church sang several hymns. Following the campus funeral, burial services were held at Greenwood Cemetery.
Wright was one month short of 64 years of age. He had served as president for twenty-five years, guiding the school’s growth from an enrollment of 174 students in 1909 to over 1,400 in 1934. During his tenure as president of the Training School and then the Teachers College, over twenty thousand students had attended East Carolina. The campus had more than doubled in size, from an original six buildings to over a dozen. When Wright passed, ECTC was considered one of the best teachers colleges in the country.
In addition to the campus funeral, other services were held to express more completely the sense of grief pervading the campus and community. The Y.W.C.A. held a “beautiful” memorial service in Austin Building. The auditorium “dimly lighted by candles on stage, decorated with white flowers, the girls dressed in white, the original members of the faculty seated on the stage, with the hymns sung softly, with a talk appropriate to the occasion by one closest to him (Dr. Leon Meadows), all seemed to fit perfectly the character and personality of the great and beloved leader whom they were honoring. President Wright’s very spirit seemed to be present.” The Alumni Association also organized special events in memory of the man who had meant so much to all associated with the school.
At a staff meeting held shortly after Wright’s passing, it was decided that “something more tangible than words should be done to express the appreciation his colleagues had for the twenty-five years for the College and his life work for education.” The result was the establishment of the Robert H. Wright Memorial Loan Fund. The local Rotary Club, of which Wright was a charter member, also honored “Bob” Wright, as he was known to friends and family, with special services.
Sources
- “Friends of Dr. Wright Offer Their Tributes.” The Teco Echo. May 30, 1934. Vol. X, no. 14. P. 1.
- “Funeral Services Dr. R. H. Wright Held April 25th.” The Teco Echo. May 16, 1934. Vol. X, no. 13. P. 1.
- “Illness Fatal to Dr. Wright, President Of Eastern Carolina College Since 1909.” Asheville Citizen-Times. April 26, 1934. P. 16.
- “Local Rotarians Honor the Late College President.” The Teco Echo. May 16, 1934. Vol. X, no. 13. P. 1.
- “Memorial Service Held At Vespers.” The Teco Echo. May 16, 1934. Vol. X, no. 13. P. 1.
- “Methodist Church Honors The Late Dr. R. H. Wright.” The Teco Echo. May 30, 1934. Vol. X, no. 14. P. 1.
- “President of E.C.T.C. Dies.” The Daily Times-News (Burlington, N.C.). April 25, 1934. P. 6.
- “President Robert H. Wright Dies This Morning.” The Teco Echo. April 25, 1934. Vol. X, no. 12. P. 1.
- “Robert H. Wright Memorial Fund Established.” The Teco Echo. May 30, 1934. Vol. X, no. 14. P. 1.
Citation Information
Title: Robert H. Wright's Funeral
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 7/19/2019