Dr. John A. Wright spent a lifetime making sure Black St. Louis history would not be forgotten. He died Monday, Nov. 9, of pancreatic cancer, just two weeks after receiving the diagnosis, according to his family. He was 87.
His books chronicled communities that no longer exist in the same form, while his work in education helped create opportunities for thousands of students.
Wright, a native son of The Ville, built a career that spanned classrooms, central offices, boardrooms and archives. He became one of the region’s foremost historians of Black life in St. Louis.
His son, John A. Wright Jr., said on social media that his father was surrounded by family at the hospital.
“His children and grandchildren were able to say their goodbyes before he left us,” he wrote.
“Growing up, I saw my grandfather as a giant of a man,” Chloi Wright said in a Facebook tribute. “Someone whose presence, accomplishments and impact on the world and community seem larger than life. As I grew older, I had the privilege of getting to know not just the man everyone admired, but the man behind the legacy.”
Wright often credited his upbringing for shaping both his ambitions and his understanding of possibility.
John Aaron Wright was born May 22, 1939. Growing up in The Ville before housing desegregation, Wright lived among Black professionals and working-class families in one of St. Louis’ most important African American neighborhoods. Children of doctors, lawyers, steelworkers and domestic workers shared classrooms, sidewalks and playgrounds.
“It wasn’t a question of could you become a doctor, because there were Black doctors, there were Black dentists,” Wright told St. Louis Public Radio while reflecting on his childhood.
Among those examples was Homer G. Phillips Hospital, one of the nation’s premier Black medical institutions.
“You did have role models you grew up around,” he said.
After graduating from Sumner High School, Wright earned a bachelor’s degree from Harris Teachers College, now Harris-Stowe State University. He began a career in education that would leave an imprint throughout the St. Louis region.
He served as a teacher and administrator in several area districts, including Webster Groves Public Schools. He later became superintendent of the Kinloch School District and, following its merger with Ferguson-Florissant in 1975, served for nearly three decades as Ferguson-Florissant’s assistant superintendent for personnel and human resources.
After retiring in 2003, Wright returned to educational leadership, serving as interim superintendent of both the Normandy School District and Saint Louis Public Schools.
His commitment to education extended beyond the districts he served. Wright earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Saint Louis University, became a Fulbright Scholar in India and pursued additional studies at Harvard University, Dartmouth College and Loyola University Chicago.
He established a minority recruitment program for St. Louis County school districts and organized the Missouri Education Policy Fellowship Program for the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. His work also included teacher-training partnerships and leadership initiatives designed to strengthen the region’s schools.
Beyond the classroom, Wright served on the University City Board of Education, including a term as president. His civic involvement included service on the boards of Webster University, the Regional Arts Commission and other organizations.
In 2006, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at The St. Louis American Foundation’s 19th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala. During his acceptance speech, he reminded the audience of the promise within public schools and the importance of supporting them.
“There are many bright students in public schools,” Wright said. “They must make a difference in our lives and make a difference in our communities. To build a better world, we must open doors and make everyone involved. If we don’t, we cut short our future.”
Among his many honors was the Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award recognizing a lifetime of service.
When Sylvia Wright, his wife of 62 years, died in 2023, Wright established the Dr. John A. and Sylvia Henley Wright Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing. She was a 1958 graduate of the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing.
“Sylvia’s career touched many lives before she retired as a nurse educator,” Wright said when the scholarship was established. “When she passed away, I wanted to do something in her name that would be lasting. Hopefully, the scholarship will help a student who will then pass it on and help others.”
The gesture reflected the same commitment to education that guided Wright throughout his life.
Still, many people knew Wright not only as an educator, but as the person who documented the stories Black St. Louis could not afford to lose.
While serving in Kinloch, he became fascinated by the history of the region’s Black schools and communities. Research for his doctoral dissertation on the desegregation of St. Louis-area Black schools evolved into a second calling.
Over the years, Wright authored books documenting Black communities and historical figures throughout the region. They include Kinloch: Missouri’s First All Black Town, The Ville, University City and St. Louis: Disappearing Black Communities.
He also collaborated with his wife, Sylvia, on Extraordinary Black Missourians, a 2013 book profiling more than 100 influential Black Missourians. Their son, John A. Wright Jr., joined them as a co-author of an expanded second edition published in 2021.
Filmmaker Alana Marie Woodson, who interviewed Wright for her documentary The Kinloch Doc, said his knowledge of St. Louis was unmatched.
“His infinite insight and wisdom into the makings of this city is priceless,” Woodson said.
She said documenting Wright’s perspective carries even greater significance now.
“The beautiful thing about documentaries is that you get to stamp people in real time,” Woodson said.
Wright spent decades doing the same through research, scholarship and writing. His books preserved the stories of Black schools, neighborhoods, institutions and families whose contributions might otherwise have been lost to history.
Visitation will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Grace United Methodist Church, 6199 Waterman Blvd., St. Louis. Funeral services will follow at 11 a.m. at the church.