To honor the memory of his late brother, Jerald Wright, Jr. established the Gregory Stephen Wright The "Crossroads" Scholarship Fund at Community Foundation of Henderson County.
When he was 15 years old, Gregory Stephen Wright fell from a tree and was paralyzed from the waist down. Greg completed Hendersonville High School in 1979 with the help of all of his friends who carried him and his wheelchair up and down the stairs at HHS. Throughout the years, he elevated himself through management positions at several banking facilities. After working in Raleigh, N.C., and Irvine, Calif., Greg returned home to Hendersonville in 2010. In August 2014, Gregory Stephen Wright died at the age of 53.
Greg was a great fan of Eric Clapton, especially the song “Crossroads” which provided the inspiration for the name of this fund. When Greg encountered crossroads in life, he always took the path that allowed him to achieve his goals. He never asked why things had happened to him. "I just took on whatever challenges that were put before me and did the best I could to overcome whatever it might have been and moved on," Greg wrote the year before his death. "My ability to overcome things and fight through them was a source of pride and self-esteem to show what I could do despite obstacles."
My ability to overcome things and fight through them was a source of pride and self-esteem to show what I could do despite obstacles.
- Gregory Stephen Wright
The concept of being confronted by a “Crossroads” experience, overcoming a significant and difficult challenge such as a personal handicap, is central to the meaning of this scholarship fund — to know what is required through personal sacrifice and effort to succeed while dealing with an unusual challenging life experience. "Do not end up with regrets or wishing you had done something different or taken a different road at the crossroads," Greg wrote. "Find a way and do it." Through the awarding of academic scholarships, the fund seeks to recognize people who have demonstrated that same commitment to life that Greg had and a similar ability to overcome obstacles.
Information about applying for this scholarship and other Community Foundation academic scholarships can be found here.