UVa-Wise receives $450,000 from estate of
Washington County resident Harold C. Wright

Southwest Virginia residents who attend The University of Virginia’s College at Wise will benefit from the generosity of the late Harold C. Wright.

Wright’s $450,000 bequest to UVa-Wise will be used to establish the Wright Family Scholarship Endowment in honor and memory of Harold C. Wright, his late wife, Sally June Cross Wright, and his parents, B. K. Wright and Goldie Eva McClannahan Wright. To be eligible for the renewable scholarship, students must demonstrate academic achievement and reside in far Southwest Virginia. Students from Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Washington, and Wise counties and the cities of Bristol and Norton are eligible. Residents of Bristol, Tenn., may also apply for the Wright Scholarship.

Friends describe Wright as a kind, caring man who enjoyed helping people. He was a devoted philanthropist who shunned public recognition of his benevolence.

“He wanted to look after Southwest Virginia because Southwest Virginia had been good to him,” said Charlie R. Jessee, Wright’s friend and attorney.

A Washington County native, Wright was raised on a farm and worked hard to pay his college expenses at Virginia Tech, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. After college, he co-founded Wright Equipment in Abingdon.

Wright passed away suddenly in December 1999, leaving a large portion of his estate to area colleges including UVa-Wise, his alma mater – Virginia Tech, his wife’s alma mater - the University of Tennessee, and Emory and Henry College.

“Being a local boy, he wanted to make sure local students were provided with an opportunity to pursue a college education,” Jessee said.

As many as 20 Wright Scholarships will be awarded each year beginning in the fall of 2006.
For more information about the Wright Family Scholarship, contact the Office of College Relations at 276-328-0130.