Thomas Wright Jr.

Dentist

Thomas Wright grew up in Roanoke, Va., but came often to Charleston, West Virginia, because his father was a minister. He attended and graduated from West Virginia State College and went on to Meharry Medical School in Nashville, Tenn. While at Meharry, he joined the ROTC and was stationed in Biloxi, Miss., after his graduation. He also was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and served in England for four years.

When he left the military, Wright and his family came to Huntington in 1954 and set up his practice, joining two other dentists practicing in the Fairfield community, Robert Gunn and W.K. Elliott.

Wright was an activist working with state and federal representatives on human rights in West Virginia. He was an active member of the NAACP, and he served on Huntington City Council from 1970-72. He was a member of the Huntington Professional Businessmen’s Club and Ebenezer United Methodist Church.