Larry Dewayne Wright carefully considered his options when choosing a university to attend after high school, and he feels he definitely made the right decision when he selected The University of Tulsa. Larry earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1980, and he credits much of his career success to the quality education he received at TU.
Wright continues to appreciate the invaluable instruction he received in his classes and labs, especially his learning experiences during his Senior Design Project for the Mini-Indy race car competition. He remembers his professors, including Kenneth Weston, John Shadley, Robert Strattan and Ed Rybicki, for their exceptional teaching abilities, but also for the wonderful way they mentored and tutored him. Wright feels the low student-to-faculty ratio in his classes led to this type of personal attention, validating his decision to attend TU. Wright also continues to be grateful for the enduring friendships he established through his campus activities and membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Larry Wright launched his career near his hometown of Tulsa, working as an engineering intern at Centrilift-Hughes in Claremore, before accepting his first position as an engineer in Tulsa for two years at Dresser Engineering Company, followed by two years at Crest Engineering, also in Tulsa.
Larry then moved to Garland, Texas, in the Dallas area, to work as a facilities engineer at E-Systems, a defense electronics company that manufactured circuit boards in Garland. The company became part of Raytheon during Larry’s twenty-three years there. He then worked at Halff Associates in Richardson, Texas, before retiring in 2016.
Larry Wright met his beloved wife, Amy Elizabeth Sever, in Dallas. Amy worked at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, as an Occupational Therapist for her entire career of 34 years.
In 2020, Larry and Amy Wright decided they would like to assist others who are studying mechanical engineering at The University of Tulsa, and they committed an estate gift to fund the Larry D. and Amy S. Wright Endowment Fund for Scholarship in Mechanical Engineering. This important scholarship program will support deserving mechanical engineering students in perpetuity while extending the caring legacy of Larry Dewayne Wright and Amy Sever Wright. The University of Tulsa is deeply grateful to these philanthropic friends.
