The Lawnside Historical Society joins the history community in mourning the passing of Giles R. Wright, II, retired director of the Afro-American History Program of the New Jersey Historical Commission.
Mr. Wright died on Feb. 4, 2009 after an eight-month illness. He led frequent tours to the Peter Mott House over the eight years it has been open to the public including the historic Underground Railroad Walk Across New Jersey in 2002, teachers' visits through the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, New Jersey Youth Corps and countless others.
Mr. Wright was a well-respected popular historian and published author. His obituary can be read at www.nj.com
At funeral services in Willingboro on Feb. 12, Dr. Clement A. Price recalled his dear friend as the co-founder of the Marion Thompson Wright lecture series in Newark, their fun and mutual love of jazz. Dr. Price also read from reflections by Bernie Bush, the first executive director of the commission, and historian Sterling Stuckey. Marc Mappen, NJHC executive director, said Giles separated fact from fiction and disputed "feel-good history" particularly as it related to the Underground Railroad. His booklet, Steal Away, Steal Away: A Guide to the Underground Railroad in New Jersey, is a case in point. Mr. Wright set meticulous standards for determining which sites to include.
Former secretary of state, the Rev. Regena Thomas, credited Mr. Wright with her call to the ministry because he invited her to the church where the first woman preacher in the A.M.E. denomination, Jarena Lee exhorted. Nina Mithcell Wells, the sitting secretary of state, said, "What impressed me most was his tremendous passion for Black history." She announced the state will create a fund in Mr. Wright's memory at the historical commission.
Donations in Giles R. Wright's name may be made to the Lawnside Historical Society, which preserves and maintains the Peter Mott House Underground Railroad Museum. Contribute by downloading a donation form from this site. Secure donations may be made online by clicking this link.
