J. E. Wright (1) (1892–1984)

J. E. Wright of Tulsa was another prominent Church of Christ layman. A native of Kansas and a trained sewing pattern maker, Wright owned and operated Sentinel Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of valves used in the oil industry. He held membership first at the Tenth and Rockford congregation, then North Main Street, and finally Brookside. He served as an elder at the last two. His energy and dedication prompted the Main Street church to organize and help sponsor a children's home at Turley, Oklahoma, just north of Tulsa, and the Brookside church to be engaged in active evangelism and to support retirement centers for the elderly and precollegiate education for youth. Grace-filled and with the heart of a servant, Wright was a diligent student of scripture, writing and analysis of God's Progressive Plan and commentaries on the books of Acts and Hebrews. As with Lee and Burch, Churches of Christ statewide called upon him to serve in various capacities , specifically as a founding member of the board of trustees of Central Christian College in Bartlesville and then Oklahoma Christian College in Oklahoma City.