James A. Wright ’45

Jim grew up in St. Louis, Mo., and attended Webster High School. He spent two years at Princeton, where he was a member of Campus Club. Then the Army sent him to the Army Specialist Training Program, which continued his engineering education at the University of Florida and Ohio State.

He was assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, Headquarters Company, which he served as battalion radio repairman, mainly in France. He was awarded a Bronze Star. Later he served the 3113 Signal Corps Service Battalion and the transatlantic submarine cable station at Cherbourg, where he was chief cable technician. Discharged in 1946, he married Eleanor Straub.

Jim went to work at Ajax Electrothermic in Trenton, N.J. Then he found a job back in St. Louis with the White-Rodgers Division of Emerson Electric, where he managed the appliance-controls engineer division and designed controls for washing machines, dishwashers, thermostats, and clothes dryers. Later he moved to Detroit and worked with United Technologies’ automotive division. He received 23 electronic parts patents.

Jim supported scout troops at Webster Presbyterian and Cherry Hill Presbyterian, running Eagle Scout preparation and God and Country programs. He served as a deacon, trustee, elder, and Sunday school teacher.

Jim died Aug. 22, 2020. He was predeceased by his wife, Elly. He is survived by daughters Carol Whitton and Betsy Harlan, and grandsons Cory and Troy.