Retired in 1986
2019 JSU Army ROTC Hall of Fame Inductee
LTC (R) Lucius Wright is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He was educated in the Baltimore Public School System, and received a B.S. Degree from Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia, where he was also commissioned as an Army Field Artillery Second Lieutenant in May 1965. Upon completion of an initial Field Artillery assignment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he completed the Army’s Aviation Course at Fort Stewart, Georgia and Fort Rucker, Alabama, enroute to the first of two Combat Aviation assignments in the Republic of Vietnam.
LTC Wright has had duty assignments as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at Jackson State University, 1972-1975; overseas assignments as Intelligence Staff Officer with the 210th Field Artillery Group, and Deputy Commander of the 70th Transportation Battalion (Aviation), 1975-1978 in the Federal Republic of Germany. Stateside assignments include serving as Commander of the Aviation Division at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, 1979-1983; and Director, Security and Intelligence Directorate, Communications and Electronics Command, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, 1983-1986.
LTC Wright retired from active duty in 1986 and recently retired as the Director of Army Instruction (JROTC) for the Jackson Public School District, Jackson, Mississippi. He received his Master’s Degree from Jackson State University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Purple Heart, two (2) Bronze Stars, Air Medal with fourteen (14) Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal, the Master Aviator’s Badge, plus other awards and decorations. LTC Wright was recognized by President Bill Clinton in his 1996 State of the Union Address as a Star Citizen and as the first Olympic Torch Bearer selected in the United States for the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta, GA.
LTC Wright is the father of two children, Nathaniel Wright of Baltimore, Maryland and Michelle Joy Wright of Atlanta, Georgia, and two stepchildren, Daphne Clayton Grissom and Larry Clayton of Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently married to Bonnie Lee Wright. LTC Wright is the son of the late Lee and the late Mary Wright of Varnville, South Carolina; he has a sister, Edith McCall and three brothers, Willie Nix (deceased), Earnest Nicks (deceased) and Robert Wright all residing in Baltimore, Maryland. LTC (R) Wright is currently the President and CEO of Total Business Development, Inc. of Jackson, Mississippi.