Dr. William E. “Bill” Wright (’51), professor emeritus of accounting and finance, died June 20, 2021, in Abilene, Texas, at age 92.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, June 28, 2021, at 1 p.m. at Hillcrest Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. His body is being donated to science.
He was born Dec. 4, 1928, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and graduated from Texarkana (Texas) High School in 1947. He married Geraldine “Jerry” Hays (’51) on Aug. 23, 1951. He earned his MBA degree from Texas Tech University (1952) and a doctorate in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin (1956), where he was an accounting instructor from 1954-56.
Wright joined the ACU faculty in 1956, when he and the late Dr. Overton Faubus taught most of the classes in the business department. He served as chair of the Department of Accounting from 1990 to 1993, when he was named its Teacher of Year. His career in the College of Business Administration spanned 44 years, and he retired in 2000.
He was a financial advisor for H. Ross Perot and a tax consultant for a number of CPA firms in Abilene, Dallas and Lubbock before and during his service to ACU. He served on the board of the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, including a term as its president. He also was a member of Hillcrest Church of Christ and volunteered in the library at a local prison.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry Bell Wright and Joy Bates Wright; and his daughter, Leslie Ann Frazier (’77). Among survivors are his wife, Jerry; sons Alan Wright (’79), Gary Wright (’88) and Chad Wright (’06 M.Ed.); 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Abilene Christian (ACU Box 29132, Abilene, Texas 79699-9132, acu.edu/giveonline) or a charity of your choice.
— Ron Hadfield
June 27, 2021