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General First nameLenoir Chambers
LastnameWright
GenderMale
CountryUnited States of America
Date of birth1911-02-24
Place of birthCharlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States of America
Date of death2003-03-18
Place of deathGreensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, United States of America


About

Charlotte Observer:

Lenoir Wright Obituary

Lenoir Chambers Wright, formerly of Charlotte, died March 18, 2003 at the age of 92 at Friend's Home West, Greensboro. He was born in Charlotte in 1911. In early 1929, he graduated from Woodberry Forest Preparatory School in Virginia. From the fall of 1929 to 1933, he attended UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was a member of the varsity tennis team and represented the University in the Intercollegiate Lawn Tennis National Championships in 1931. In the 1930s he also played in the U.S. Open at Forest Hills. He went on to Oxford University, where he played tennis for Merton College, and then to Harvard Law School where he received his law degree in 1938. He practiced law for two years; but when World War II began, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served as an officer until 1946. He often said that it was during his tour of duty in the Pacific that he decided that he no longer wanted to practice law; and when the war was over, he returned to school, earning a doctorate in history from Columbia University.

In 1953, he came to UNC-Greensboro while it was still known as Women's College, where he specialized in courses in Asian history and culture, and made the first of many trips to Japan, where he twice stayed in a Buddhist monastery. During those visits, he made his first purchases of Japanese scrolls and prints, primarily as teaching aids. This was the foundation for the amazing collection of Japanese prints and scrolls which he expanded and donated to the Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNC-Greensboro over a period of years. He later spent a year teaching in Iraq and a summer in India on grants from the Fulbright Foundation as well as participating in an archaeological dig in Israel. In 1969, he published "United States Policy Toward Egypt, 1830-1914." However, his primary interest remained in Japanese art and culture and in the fall of 2002, the Weatherspoon Museum presented an impressive exhibition of a portion of his gifts and honored him for his contributions to the collection. He also
served as a Life Member of the board of the Weatherspoon Gallery Association.
His generosity also extended to the School of Music where he was always available to give support to students in need. In addition, he supported the Scholarship Fund, the Musical Arts Guild, and Focus on Piano Literature and was a Name-A Seat donor during the campaign for the new building. In the spring of 1982, he was made an honorary member of Pi Kappa Lambda in recognition of his gifts to the School of Music. He also served as a life member of the board of the Musical Arts Guild. In 1993 the UNC-Greensboro Symphony gave a concert in his honor which was followed by a reception co-sponsored by the Jackson Library at UNC-Greensboro, which also benefited from his generosity through the gift of his extensive collection on Middle Eastern history and his financial support of Friends of the Library, and the Weatherspoon Museum.
He was also a member of the Unbroken Band, those who have indicated that UNC-Greensboro is in their wills.

He had a lifelong interest in opera and traveled widely for many years enjoying the performance of operas in the opera houses of Europe as well as the United States. He was a patron of the Greensboro Opera Company and a member of the board for many years and a member of the artistic advisory committee.
His sister, Rebecca Chambers Wright Myers of Greensboro and his brother, Dr. Thomas Hasell Wright of Charlotte predeceased him. He is survived by 2 nephews and 4 nieces, Robert McDowell Wright and wife Jenny Lou and their children Elizabeth, Susan and Clay, Thomas Hasell Wright and wife Joan and their children, Andrew, Emma Kate and Allison, Vard Myers Henry and her children, Chambers and Steve, Margaret Myers Morris and husband Lewis and their children, Lewis III, Willie, Michael, and Lacy, Susan Myers David and husband Doug and their children, Grainger, Maggie, and Haynes, and Elizabeth Myers Bonardi and husband Robert and their children, Catherine, Rebecca, Caroline, and Max.
A memorial service will be held in the living room of Friend's Home West on April 8th at 11 a.m. There will be a private graveside service in Charlotte. Memorial contributions may be made to the Weatherspoon Museum, the School of Music at UNC-G, or the Greensboro Opera Company.

Media


Archive statistics Career1930 - 1931
Tournament wins0
Matches4
Match wins1


Tournaments US Open - 1931 Cotton States Championships - 1931 Mason & Dixon Tournament - 1930