William Allyn Wright ’41

Bill died Aug. 1, 2005, after a brief illness.

He was born in Floral Park, N.Y., Feb. 11, 1920. He was student body president of St. Paul's School in Garden City. At Princeton, he roomed with Dick Duncan and was a member of Tower Club. In his younger years he was an avid jazz drummer. After college he became a pilot with Pan American Airways and was among the first to fly the Pan Am Clipper flying boats.

During World War II he served as a pilot for the Air Transport Command, providing logistic support by air in the European theater.

Following the war, Bill continued as a commercial pilot for TWA. In 1950, he entered the family insurance business, the William A. Wright Agency in Floral Park, which he owned and operated until 1984. He was a founder of the Floral Park Little League in 1953, and was an active member of the Floral Park Lions Club and Freeport Yacht Club.

In 1994, Bill and his wife moved from Garden City to the retirement community of Heritage Harbour in Annapolis, Md. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia Duff Wright; his daughters, Sandra Wright Kind and Cynthia Ann Wright, son William Allyn Wright Jr., and four grandchildren.

The Class of 1941