'Jackson has lost a pillar': Melvin Wright dead at 87

Dr. Melvin Wright didn’t consider himself a trail blazer.

He never acted like he wanted to be seen as one.

In fact, he never acted like he wanted anyone talking about him, but instead talking about the good that could happen in Jackson.

That was the common thread among those who talked about Wright, who came to Jackson and set up his dental practice in 1966 and worked for nearly 60 years.

Wright’s family announced his passing on Facebook on Wednesday, July 10.

Wright was from Tipton County and was set to begin his career there after graduating from dental school before a call came requesting his services in Jackson.

“Being in Jackson, Tennessee has allowed me to realize a dream I had as a youngster,” Wright said in 2019 when he was named Jackson’s Man of the Year. “To settle in a place and become a part of it to help others in the community.”

Wright planted his practice, family and its roots in Jackson, and he worked in a number of different venues to help others.

In 1979, he was among the first Black members inducted into the Jackson Rotary Club. In 1988, he became the first Black chairman of the board of directors for what is now known as The Greater Jackson Chamber. He was appointed to the Jackson City Council in 1990 to serve the unexpired term left by the death of James Buchanan. He was a charter member of 100 Black Men of West Tennessee, was the organization’s treasurer for years and remained its treasurer emeritus until his death.

Jerry Woods considered Wright a mentor and also was a charter member of 100 Black Men.

“He was the first dentist I went to,” Woods said. “He was the first dentist a lot of Black people in Jackson went to back then.”

Wright lived and located his practice in East Jackson.

“He was a member of the community and had no serious thoughts of relocating … ever,” Woods said.

Woods said looking back on his relationship with Wright, he was there for all the major milestone events of Woods’ life.

“He was there when I got married, when I earned my doctorate from Ole Miss and when I was named Superintendent of Covington Schools,” Woods said. “From the time I met him and began working with him as an adult, he was a mentor to me like he was to so many other people.”

Frank McMeen, a Jackson City Councilman and president of the Community Foundation of West Tennessee, first met Wright the first time he went to a Rotary Club meeting during Wright’s time as president.

“He was the one running the meeting, and he was so smooth in the way he ran it,” McMeen said. “Everything just flowed, he had a good sense of humor in keeping things light and he was great to talk to.

“He was one of those people that you just always want to be around because they’re always positive and looking to help other people. And for all the years I knew him, I never ever heard him say anything negative about anyone.”

McMeen said Wright’s willingness to help people started in his dental practice.

“There were so many times I heard stories of someone needing emergency dental work because they were in pain and didn’t have the money to pay for it, and Melvin would sneak them in the backdoor of his office, treat them and sneak them out again away from his secretary Miss Gloria,” McMeen said. “If you needed help and Melvin could help you, he would help you.”

Dr. Ron Kirkland had similar stories about Wright.

“We moved here in 1984, and Melvin was already a member of Rotary and already a pretty key member of the community that is Jackson,” said Kirkland, who practiced medicine for 31 years at Jackson Clinic. “I got to know him pretty well from Rotary, but every now and then I’d bump into him outside an operating room.

“A lot of the time, he’d be going in to work on someone and doing it at little to no cost because he wanted to do that kind of work. He enjoyed it because he knew it was necessary.”

Kirkland said Wright wanted to see all of Jackson have an attitude about helping others similar to the one he had.

“He always wanted our community to be closer and for us to be respectful of one another,” Kirkland said. “And in a way he accomplished that himself.

“He conducted himself in a way that was always professional and helpful to others, so that garnered him respect from everyone that came in contact with him. I know the Rotary Club was honored to have him as a member and a president.”

Even after he retired from full-time practice, he looked for ways to continue to help. It was in 2018 Sabrina Parker got Wright to join her non-profit, Helping Hands of Tennessee, that connected people in Jackson with low- or no-cost dental care.

“From the very beginning, Dr. Wright's charitable spirit and compassion for others drove him to build Helping Hands into what it is today,” Parker said. “Even in his retirement, he was actively involved in guiding our work and sharing his expertise to help more people. We have lost a selfless champion for healthcare access who truly made a difference in countless lives.

“While we will greatly miss Dr. Wright's leadership and friendship, his legacy will live on through the patients and families he served. We are eternally grateful for his dedication to our mission. Dr. Wright's commitment to giving back was an inspiration to us all. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. His memory will always be cherished at Helping Hands.”

After Wright’s time with Helping Hands ended in 2020, he continued to help at Dove Family Dentistry in recent years until his health began to no longer allow him to practice.

Because of the timing of Wright’s time as chair of The Chamber’s board of directors, Chamber CEO Kyle Spurgeon said Wright was probably a part of – and probably led – some of the conversations that began The Chamber’s transformation into what it is today.

“It was the late 1980s when the conversations began when chamber officials and its board of directors and other stakeholders began to discuss becoming more of an economic development entity than what it had been before then,” Spurgeon said. “It’s always been involved in economic development, but it was probably about 1988 that they began thinking, discussing and looking at making it a priority for the organization.

“There were studies done and other things happened and a number of gradual changes that happened over the years, but it all started with those conversations that I’m sure Dr. Wright was a part of.”

But even in his role with The Chamber and his involvement for decades, Spurgeon said Wright wanted to see all of Jackson succeed.

“Dr. Wright cared about all of Jackson and whenever I heard him speak at Chamber functions or had conversations with him, he always spoke about helping every area of Jackson – every single person who lives and works here – succeed to help the entire community succeed as one,” Spurgeon said. “And he had no problem getting involved in helping make that happen if he thought he could do something to possibly make that happen.”

Byron Elam is the president of the local chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. About a month ago, he and a few other members met at Wright’s home to spend time with the group’s oldest member.

“I first moved to Jackson 10 years ago, but he was already a friend of our family because my great-grandmother taught his children in school,” Elam said. “He was happy to see us and shared some of his wealth of wisdom with us.

“And even at his age [87], he spoke with so much clarity these words of advice that he gave to us that I don’t think I can put into words what it meant. He exemplified everything that goodness represents.”

While Woods mourned the loss of his friend, he said he mourned more the loss for Jackson.

“Jackson has lost a pillar,” Woods said. “And a lot of us here don’t even know it because he didn’t want everybody to know.

“I thank God that I knew Melvin Wright.”

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news