Robert Allen Wright 1886-1984

WRIGHT, SIEFERT, HOOVER

Posted By: Georgea Clinton (email)
Date: 6/3/2011 at 11:40:06

April 16 1984 - Carroll Daily Times - Robert Allen Wright, 97, of 126 West Eighth street, a longtime Carroll businessman, farm operator, and philanthropist, died Saturday, April 14, at the Carroll Health Center Nursing Home after a long illness. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at Trinity Episcopal church in Carroll with the Rev. Larry Gatrel officiating. Mrs. K.K. Holley will be organist. Serving as active casketbearers will be Max H. Reed, James B. Wilson, Arthur A. Neu, Gene Vincent, Carl Hamilton and Joe H. Gronstal. Honorary bearers will be William Murray, Ed Bueltel, George Towers, Lou Owen, Leo Fitzpatrick, Carroll A. Lane, William S. Farner, Herbert Hudson, Mal Schmidt, Don Studer, Clark Peters, Joseph Morton, Dr. Roland B. Morrison, Dr. L.B. Westendorf and Dr. Robert Parks. Burial will be in the Carroll cemetery. Friends may call at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll. A Masonic memorial service was conducted at 7:30 p.m. Sunday for family and friends at the funeral home. A prayer service for family and friends will be conducted at 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. The family suggests that those desiring to do so may contribute memorials to Trinity Episcopal church in Mr. Wright's memory.

Mr. Wright is survived by his wife, Estyl, Carroll; Mrs. Wright's grandchildren: John M. Siefert, Houston, Tex.; Robert S. Siefert, Miami, Fla., and her three great grandchildren: Phillip, John and Justin.

Mr. Wright was born December 9, 1886, in Carroll, a son of Dr. Arthur Lee Wright and Adie Hoover Wright. A member of former President Herbert Hoover's family, his great grandfather and Mr. Hoover's grandfather were brothers, he was a trustee of the Herbert Hoover Memorial Library at West Branch, Iowa. His father was a pioneer Carroll physician and established the first hospital in Carroll. He was married to Estyl Siefert on March 26, 1941 in Chicago. Mr. Wright had a long and distinguished career in business and community service. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal church and served as its senior warden. He was instrumental in reopening the church in 1950 after it had been closed for a number of years, and served several times on the bishop's committee.

He was a member of the Carroll Rotary Club for 50 years, was named an honorary member, and became a Paul Harris Fellow in 1981. He was a life member of the Iowa State University Board of Governors and a member of the Order of the Knoll. He served on the Iowa State Achievement Foundation, was a member of the Carroll Cyclone Club, and received the Cy's Favorite Alumni award in 1976. His other local affiliations included the Carroll Country Club, the Elks Lodge, Carroll and U.S. Chambers of Commerce, Signet Masonic Lodge No. 264, A.F. & A.M., Chapter, Council and Commandery and the Carroll-Greene County Shrine, Za-Ga-Zig Shrine Temple, A.A. ON. M.S., Des Moines, and the Consistory, Sioux City.

Mr. Wright was one of the founders and served on the Board of Trustees of Living History Farms, Des Moines. He attended the University of Chicago in 1909, moved to Canada to farm, but returned to the United States to attend Iowa State University for a time and commuted between the U.S. and Canada, coming back to Carroll in 1942 to manage the Burke Hotel which had been in his family for more than 100 years. He sold the Hotel in 1963. During that time, he was chairman of the Smaller Hotel Association of the American Hotel Association. From 1959 to 1960, he served as president of the Northwestern Hotel Association. After selling the hotel, he devoted his time to managing his farm interests. In 1974 he received the Carroll Community Service Award.

Mr. Wright established the Carroll Community Foundation with funds to be used to benefit the city, created and endowed a scholarship fund for graduates of Carroll Community High School, from which he himself had graduated, served on the Board of Trustees of the Carroll Public Library, was Carroll County Chairman for the U.S. Savings Bond Program, headed the Carroll Civic Music Association, served on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee, and was a member of the board of directors of the Bank of Canada for two terms.