Dr. J. Ward Wright, a retired professor of management, law and ethics at Eastern Kentucky University and a former U.S. Army Ranger, died Friday, June 13, 2008, at home after a long illness. He was 80.Dr. Wright taught at the university’s College of Business until his retirement and also taught legal writing at the University of Kentucky’s College of Law while he practiced law in Lexington, Kentucky. After growing up in Birmingham, Ala., he attended Gordon Military College in Barnesville, Ga. He then earned a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. He also earned a Masters of Public Administration and a Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Southern California's Washington Public Affairs Center.He held many management and research positions related to local, state and federal levels of government. During a long and varied career that took across the country, Dr. Wright was a Management Consultant for Booz, Allen and Hamilton in New York City; Deputy County Executive of Nassau County, New York; Research Director for the Temporary Commission on the Constitutional Convention for the State of New York; Project Director for the National League of Cities-U.S. Conference of Mayors; Program Manager for the National Science Foundation's Research Applied to National Needs; Director of the State University of New York at Albany's Center for Governmental Research; and Director of Management Services at the Council of State Governments.Dr. Wright also served with the 11th Airborne Division in Japan following World War II and later served as executive officer for the 12th Airborne Ranger Company, one of the first airborne ranger units formed during the Korean War.He is survived by: his wife, Virginia, a Richmond resident and a retired professor of economics at Eastern Kentucky University; his son, Mark (Cheryl) Wright of Jacksonville, Fla.; his daughter, Linda (Marshall) Kirkland of Sacramento, Calif.; his son, Eric (Trista) Wright of Westport, Conn.; his daughter, Lisa (Jeff) Wright of Lakeville, Conn.; his daughter, Laura (Randall) Worden of Alexandria, Va.; his daughter, Lesley Wright of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and seven grandchildren.Visitation will be Monday, at 7 p.m. at Oldham, Roberts and Powell Funeral Home, followed by a Celebration of his life at 8 p.m. Burial will follow on Tuesday at 10 a.m. in the Richmond Cemetery.To express condolences, visit www.orpfh.com.
Published in the Richmond Register on 6/14/2008.