David L. Wright

November 2nd, 1939 - March 22nd, 2022

Memorial

Mementos

David Leslie Wright died on 22 March, 2022, of pulmonary fibrosis in Portland, Oregon surrounded by far flung family, including his seven adored grandchildren, with courageous acceptance of every stage of the disease. David's working life reflected a commitment to bettering living conditions for the world's poorest which was the ethical cornerstone of his long and effective career in international development - a commitment underpinned by his singular focus, drive and tenacity. An inveterate climber and walker, his combined work and play must have taken him around the world several times in his richly diverse 82 years. David's early childhood was spent in Zimbabwe, due to his father's role as Chaplain-in-Chief for the RAF during the war, returning to England for school and University at Trinity College, Cambridge where he studied Engineering and History. Apprenticed to Vickers Armstrong, he worked on various versions of Concorde wing designs. As rock and snow/ice climbing became a primary pursuit, David joined the Alpine Club and the London Mountaineering Club, spending time climbing in Wales, the Alps, the Dolomites and the Lake District - scaling New Zealand's Mount Cook on one nearly fatal occasion, a story he dined out on for years. Later he focused on walking, taking numerous hiking tours in Nepal, India, Chile and Pakistan. If he wasn't looking for a glimpse of Everest he was following the tracks of a snow leopard (having more luck seeing the former than the latter). In 1965 David joined the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) as an engineer in Nigeria, Lesotho and Guyana. Once back in the UK, he attended the London Business School, then joined the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), the organisation based on the ideas of Fritz Schumacher, author of Small is Beautiful. Tasked with applying Schumacher's concepts, in 1992 he established Intermediate Technology Industrial Services (ITIS/Practical Action), an NGO located in Rugby. Its programs included small stoves, micro hydro units and water development to name a few, many still ongoing. He was then asked by the British government to evaluate the feasibility of bringing private sector work into the overseas aid programme, something which until then had been avoided. The resulting success story was, thus, initiated by a one-man department. As the work's impact was proven he hired more staff, launching an impressive number of careers. As two former colleagues put it: "David did wonderful work at ODA/DFID in starting from scratch and then building their private enterprise work, enabling it to become over time a key part of their overall activities."; "(David's) strongest legacy was the team that he built and the credibility he achieved for the value of direct engagement with the private sector." To those who worked with him as well as walked with him, David was known as a person who went the last mile, and then some. His work, his family and his love of the mountains served as lodestars by which he navigated a full and generous life. He will be missed beyond measure and stories of his many adventures and colorful deeds will abound in perpetuity. He leaves his wife, Marjorie, his son, Timothy, his daughter, Courtney, his brother, Dr. Denham Wright, numerous nieces and nephews, and seven grandchildren whom he loved to bits.

Events

PAST EVENT

David L. Wright - Virtual Commemoration

May 29th, 2022

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

(GMT-4:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Tributes

Share a favorite memory, send condolences, and honor David’s life with a heartfelt message.

Lisa Caldon

David, I am grateful to have known you. To have shared some of life's journey with you. Blessed by your company your kindness your calmness your wisdom your infectious enthusiasm your effervescent joy… along with a good smattering of fun & cheekiness your way of just ‘being' that made others around you feel listened to, safe and special the way you found small things within them, to build something larger and more beautiful. The first time I met you and Marjorie at your 60th birthday party at Highgate, I felt a quick and powerful bond of love, respect, and friendship with you both. This built over time, as we shared moments and experiences. Even in your last weeks of life, when you were so breathless it was so difficult to speak, chatting with you over email was fun. Hearing your voice in the written word, unconstrained by the effort of breath. To read your joy at our experiences - hearing about the kids and looking at the photos of the scenery John and I were experiencing with your boots on my feet. During the conversation, we could feel you smiling and hearing you giggling. Just one example of the amazingness of you, was your crazy non-stop drives to meet our new-borns for just a short time, before turning round and driving the four-and-a-half-hour drive back home. You arrived with a beaming smile and palpable excitement at greeting the new members of your family - your love shining at them and at us. I shall miss your physical company on the journey forward David. But you are and will always be, in my and our hearts and minds. You and Marjorie have always as much a friend as relatives, and our generation rather than the one above. Our souls are richer for contact with yours. You and your way of ‘being' has changed us for the better - infusing us with your love, kindness and fun, together with a passion for life and the shared bonds between souls. I will carry you with me in my being and I will also carry you literally with me - wearing your walking boots. As I yomp along, know that I will be thinking of you - how you would love this walk, this view, in your plus fours and long socks. Just as I have in my heart the thoughts that Marjorie would love this view and wish we could overcome the physical challenge of the walk, so that we could sit a while and chatter as we captured the view in pen ink and watercolour. Lots of love and huge hugs Lisa x

Published June 5th, 2022

Courtney Musser

From John Meadley: In October 1992, at David's request, I came to Ghana to see whether there was an opportunity for DFID to support growth enterprises. On arrival I met Alan Kyerematen, then the Director of a newly-formed business development organisation called EMPRETEC (and today Ghana's Minister of Trade and Industry) and spent two weeks travelling round the triangle of Accra - Kumasi - Takoradi meeting a range of entrepreneurs. From that visit and from those encounters emerged the Ghana Enterprise Development Project (GEDPRO) with EMPRETEC as its partner in Ghana and BESO as its partner in UK working alongside my small company (Rural Investment Overseas or RIO). Over the next six years over 100 BESO advisers came out to Ghana to work with entrepreneurs in a wide range of sectors and I would like to mention just three of these entrepreneurs - all of whom Fiona and I were able to meet when we visited Ghana in 2019 to renew friendships with both EMPRETEC colleagues and participating entrepreneurs. At the start of GEDPRO Tony Oteng-Gyasi was making wooden crates to transport Coca Cola cans. At the end of GEDPRO he had established Tropical Cables and Conductors to make cables for rural electrification - which has since expanded into a wide range of ancillary products. Tony was for a time the Chair of the Association of Ghana Industries. Joyce and Charles Djabatey were GPs who established a small clinic in 1993 called C&J Medicare. With professional support from GEDPRO and BESO they have built this state of the art hospital which has the largest MRI scanner in a private hospital in Ghana and which has a significant social outreach. Richard Ekem and the late Benjamin Mbroh were both producing a range of clay products and received the first BESO beneficiary of the project. The adviser (Kenneth Thomson) developed a simple fan that used sawdust (which was at the time largely a waste product) to heat the kilns - which both reduced costs and increased the kiln temperature. Those blowers are still in use today. This article below was taken from a book on the climate crisis by Paul Hawken called Regeneration: ending the climate crisis in one generation. These are just the tip of the iceberg. None of this would have happened without David's vision. When I shared the news of David's death with EMPRETEC colleagues I had the following response: "Our condolences go to the family of David. We stand with the family and may God strengthen them at this challenging time. We appreciate the visionary role played by David in the development and establishment of GEDPRO, a pace setter for DFID involvement in the private sector. May God grant him eternal rest." Amen to that. I too remember David with thanks - both his professionalism and his sense of humour - and am glad to have known him.

Published May 29th, 2022

Kelly Wright

Our son Dylan put it best when he said through tears, "The baby should be the most upset that Grandpa died. He never even got to spend any time with him." We are so thankful for all the time we had with David. He was the most amazing father and grandpa. He made the day to day tasks more fun, brought adventure to our lives, and filled our hearts with love. There are countless beautiful memories of David - his happy, genuine smile and bright blue eyes fill them all. Walking with David always made the day. It was a time to catch up and talk about anything on your mind or to enjoy a casual chat and soak up the beauty of the world around us. Walking on the coastal paths in Dartmouth, up the hill from the post office to Southover, on the beach in Oregon, and walking the kids to school will always be remembered with a smile. We had so many fun evenings around the dinner table filled with delicious food and conversation, David was well read on current events and was always engaging and curious about what those surrounding him had to say. David was a fun, easygoing person to be around...he didn't need anything to be content, he would happily sleep on the floor and skip breakfast. David truly loved life and lived it to the fullest. He never passed on an opportunity to meet someone new - our friends loved his visits; to do something helpful - our cars will never be as clean; to be youthful - he spent loads of time on the floor, playing and laughing with the kids; to celebrate the moment - enjoying a coffee and a view; to find adventure - finding the perfect coastal rock face to climb with his grandkids or getting soaked in a Pacific sneaker wave with a dry child in his arms. The greatest gift of all that David gave Tim and I and our children was his truly unconditional love. He wholeheartedly supported every decision we made big and small. From education choices to travel adventures to moving across the country to having a large family to property investments he was there for us with words of encouragement and offering a helping hand. When it came to our children, he was excited to support their every interest even if he didn't quite understand what they were talking about. He saw change and risk as opportunity and that gave us the confidence to follow our dreams. I hope I can do the same for our children. David, we miss you so much. We will always miss you. You will live on forever in our memories, in our hearts, and in the smiles and adventurous spirits of our children. We love you.

Published May 26th, 2022

Courtney Musser

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended this morning's service, zooming in from many different countries/continents and spanning multiple time zones. It was a fitting tribute to a man who spent so much of his life circumnavigating the globe! As is evident from your many, generous contributions both during the service and on the memorial page, David's legacy remains strong, whether it be in the myriad people and projects he supported through his work in international development, or the friends and family (including grandchildren/grand-nieces and nephews) he inspired to explore the road less-travelled. For those of you who were not able to join us this morning, we invite you to leave a post or comment on this page, which will remain open. A recording of today's service will also be made available on this page in the coming days.

Published May 29th, 2022

Cindi Anker

I adored David. I've known David for about 15 years, not long enough. We shared the joys of seeing Tim and Kelly fall in love, marry, and bring 4 grandchildren into our lives. I was always happy to spend time with David when he was in town. We have fond memories of a trip to Devon to visit Marjorie and David a number of years back. We had a wonderful time walking the costal paths in Devon and the hills in the Lake District, all with lots of laughter. My time with David at the end of his journey in this life was a privilege. Such strength and grace, I will never forget. Cindi Anker

Published May 29th, 2022