The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-30
DR.: Thomas Wright To Become Fourth
Bishop Of The East Carolina Diocese

at the Church of the Good Shepherd
in Raleigh, Bishop Strange was
called to the diocese's highest Of
flee from Richmond, where he was
rector of st. Paurs church. Bishop
Darst was called to the diocesan
office also from Richmond, where
he was serving as rector of st.
James church.
Despite the fact that his health
did not permit him to continue
serving actively as bishop of East
Carolina, Bishop Darst will contin-
|ue to hold the office and title of
bishop and will be asked to preach
and serve in various assignments
throughout the country, while
maintaining his home at Whining
ton.
DR.. Wright was born Oct. Is, 1904
in Wilmington, son of the late John
M Wright and Josie Whitaker
Wright. He was ordained a minis
ter in 1929. For two years he acted
as travelling secretary for the Ma
tional' Council of the Episcopal
church, with headquarters in New
York City; also serving in this ca
pacity4 as national acting secre-
tary for college work. From 1884
to 1941 he was rector of the Robert
E. Lee Memorial church at Licking
ton, Va; from 1941 to 1913 was
dean of Grace cathedral in San
Francisco; and from 1884 Until his
recent resignation was rector of St.
Marks church in San Antonio, Tex.
Among the position of honor and
trust the bishop-elect has held are
the following: representative of
the United States to the World
Christian Student Federation meet
ing in Holland during 1882; region
al director of the Church Society
for College Work; associate mem
Der of the, Forward Movement
Commission of the Episcopal
church; chairman of the provincial
commission on college work;
member of the executive board of
the Diocese of Southwestern
Virginia; member of the board of
examining chaplains in Southwest
ern Virginia; and trustee of the
University of the South.
Thus DR.. Wright returned to his
native city and his native state to
serve the diocese in which ne was
born and in which he started his
ministry. after having had varied
experience in many parts of the
country and the world.
That he is well qualified for the
new post is shown by the praise
which was heaped upon his Shout
ders when he was nominated for
the office during the annual did,
cesar convention last May in New
Bern. Bishop Everett H. Jones OF
Texas, under whom he was then
serving, wrote: E'He is man of
deep spiritual conservation, of
wide experience an organizer
and administrator, and he has the
capacity for making friends and
adjusting to all kinds of people. I
would say that he has all of the
fundamental requisites of a good
bishop"
From Bishop Block of the Do
cese of California, under whom he
served at San Francisco, came
this compliment: ''Dr.. Wright is. a
man of unusual personal charm
and winsemeness. He has ,ex-
cellent administrative ability and
fine personal courage. I have al
ways felt that he would make an
excellent bishop" .
One of the finest tributes was
from DR.. Francis P. Gaines, for
mer president of Wake Forest col
lege and now Baptist president Of
Wa shington and Lee university,
with whom DR.. Wright was asso-
ciated in Lexington, Va. DR..
Gaines wrote:
For the purpose you have in
mind, or for any spiritual purpose,
| I could commend Tom Wright alb
solutely without reservation. In
terms of his character and his
loneliness of spirit, his broad SYM
pathy his quick and wide. compre-
hension of almost any situation.
his tireless devotion in spending
his energies and the radiance OF
his friendliness, I would put him
just at the top.
II could go on and list indefi-
nitely the good qualities of Tom,
and I do not know a single bad
quality. incidentally he married ar
unusually lovely girl, Hannaa H.
Kfowltort Of Charlotte5 4who> has
nroved in every Way competent as