I remember Dr. Wright's open door and friendly smile. He was department chair while I was there, and everybody wanted him to be in that position forever, since no one else could manage that job and keep their sense of humor. For many, many years, it was Dr. Wright who kept the lifeblood of resources flowing into the Religion Department. I never understood how he could get so much work done and still have time to talk to the gaggle of graduate students that always seemed to congregate in his office. I was not one of Dr. Wright's dissertation students, yet he remembered me immediately when I placed an unheralded and out-of-the-blue call to ask for a favor about 20 years after I left Temple. We talked for more than an hour, catching up on the news, like old friends will. I suspect that all of his students and friends have experienced his abiding sense of concern and friendship. Thank you, Dr. Wright, for all that you did for the department that launched my career along with innumerable other careers!

Ann Marie B. Bahr, Ph.D.
Professor of Religious Studies
Department of Philosophy and Religion
South Dakota State University  

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