By Stephanie Mansfield
ALEXANDRIA, VA. - Don’t let Betty Wright’s
Southern manners fool you.
Underneath that polite reserve is a woman with a sly wit, often
irreverent observations and an infectious laugh which sets her eyes
sparkling with a girlish mischievousness.
“You see her head turn sideways a little bit,” laughs former
Alexandria Mayor Patsy Ticer, now a State Senator.
“And she doesn’t flaunt her accomplishments. You would never know
that she’s had such an illustrious history.”
Smart, savvy and generous, Betty Wright has made an impact on
everything she touches, from historic preservation to Old Town civic
causes to funding a nationally recognized literacy advocacy program in
Alexandria for underprivileged children “The Wright To Read.”
“This was her baby. And it’s really thriving,” adds Ticer, who
has known Wright since the late 1950’s.
Born in Asheville, N.C., Betty Dale Rhoads arrived in Washington in
1942. She married insurance broker Frank Lester Wright, Jr. in
1949 and settled in Arlington.
One evening, she and her husband attended a production of The
Beggar’s Opera at The Little Theatre of Alexandria and the Wrights
began their lifelong love affair with Old Town. The actor who played
Mr. Peachum later sold them their first house in Old Town, 316 South
Lee Street, in July, 1953 and the Wrights were early and staunch
supporters of the theatre.
In 1979, they purchased the historic property on South Fairfax Street
known as “The Doctor Brown House”, once owned by William
Brown, Surgeon General of the American Revolution and author
of the first American Pharmacopeia. The Wrights lovingly preserved
many detail of the property, including the period woodwork, wide plank
floors, hardware and even the original goat hair plaster.
The couple also joined the burgeoning effort to preserve and protect
the historic properties in Old Town, many of which were in disrepair
and threatened with destruction. Their love of architecture was only
rivaled by their keen interest in food and fine wine.
That year, she and Frank began the Frank and Betty Wright Foundation
and launched a unique mentoring and teaching program “The Wright to
Read” giving the gift of literacy to underachieving children. The
landmark program matches tutors with inner city students from
kindergarten to the 5th grade and has helped thousands of children get
a head start in life.
“She was really ahead of her time,” says longtime Old Town
resident Carolyne Abshire. “This city would not be
the same without Frank and Betty Wright.”
Frank Wright died in 1993 after a battle with cancer. He was 73.
Betty Wright began her professional career at U.S. News &
World Report as the Promotion Manager, and then joined the
Historic Times Inc. in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as a partner. The
company eventually published seven magazines, including British
Heritage, Civil War Times Illustrated, Historic Times Illustrated and
Early American Life. She retired when the company was sold to Coles
Media.
Wright has had a lifelong passion for antiques. As a member of The
International Society of Antique Scale Collectors, she is known for
having one of the finest collections in the United States and is often
fiercely bidding against other collectors on eBay.
After retiring as president of the Landmark Society, which then owned
the Stabler-Leadbetter Shop Museum, she learned of the availability
and purchased a large group of original records, letters and orders
from the earliest days of the shop and donated the items to the
Stabler-Leadbetter Apothecary Museum.
“I found out how important the records are,” she once said.
“It’s really a record of Alexandria history. George and Martha
Washington and Robert E. Lee all got their medicines there.”
The collection includes an inventory of documents dating from the
1790’s to the 1930’s. One famous order from Martha Washington
asked for a quart of his finest castor oil to be delivered to Mt.
Vernon. She was even able to track down Edward Stabler’s 1790
journal, which is currently one of the most fascinating items in the
museum. (The museum is now owned and operated by the City of
Alexandria.)
Wright has been honored with many awards for her generosity, among
them an award from The Alexandria Commission for Women in 2002, and a
special award in 2004 from the Alexandria Historical Society.
During the 1980’s, Wright became an integral part of refurbishing
the State Department’s official reception rooms.
“For more than 20 years, Betty Wright has been a valued member of
the Fine Arts Committee, U. S. Department of State,” said Marcee
Craighill, Curator of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the State
Department. “Betty joined the committee because of her very
persuasive friend and neighbor, Clement Conger. She remains a loyal,
generous and engaged supporter of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms. Her
contributions of objects, ideas and funds helped build a great
national collection of Americana that provides a magnificent setting
for American diplomacy. We truly congratulate Betty on becoming a
Living Legend in Old Town.”
As a Smithsonian Associate, Wright also funded one of their new
display cases to feature objects not related to a specific
exhibit. But it is literacy and books which are closest to her
heart. In recognition of her work, Betty Wright received a special
Daily Points of Light Award at the 2005 convention of the Points of
Light Foundation held in Washington.
When she learned in the late 1990s that there were no funds to build a
“reading garden” for the newly constructed Charles E.
Beatley, Jr. Central Library, she offered to construct the
4,500 brick garden featuring benches, shade trees and colorful
annuals.
The garden, which was dedicated in June 2000, is a tranquil respite
for reading, and is the site of chamber concerts and other events. The
garden is also a living tribute to Betty Wright’s warm and generous
heart and commitment to the future generations of Alexandrians.
Stephanie Mansfield, a resident of Old Town, was a Staff Writer at
The Washington Post and The Washington Times, and is now an acclaimed
free-lance writer who travels the world on high-profile assignments.