Categories: General
      Date: Jun  1, 2009
     Title: In Memory of Dr. Paul H. Wright

Dr. Wright was Professor Emeritus at Georgia Tech where he taught civil engineering for 32 years. He began teaching in 1963 and was recognized as one of the leading transportation engineering educators in the country for decades. He was author/co-author of numerous textbooks on transportation and highway engineering, airport engineering and introduction to engineering. Several of his texts are still used today in many civil engineering programs around the world.

Dr. Wright was a major contributor to the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in teaching, research and administration. As head of the transportation engineering group for many years, he was instrumental in building the program to the stature it has today. According to Professor Michael Meyer, "when I came to Georgia Tech in 1988, I knew that transportation at Georgia Tech was synonymous with ‘Paul Wright.' I found that his interest in a quality transportation engineering education and in the careers of his students was inherent in almost everything he did. He was a scholar, researcher, professional engineer, and most importantly, a true gentleman. The transportation engineering field has lost a major leader."

Dr. Wright was a registered Professional Engineer in Georgia and a member of numerous professional societies including the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and the American Society of Engineering Education. Dr. Wright received the Sigma Xi Faculty Award and ITE's Technical Paper Award (Southern Section) in 1976. He was active in continuing education programs and served as a consultant to transportation agencies in the United States and Central America. He earned his Ph.D. in civil engineering (transportation planning) from Georgia Tech.