Oral history interview with Reverend Paul S. Wright

Collection

Identifier: SR 9205

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Reverend Paul S. Wright was conducted by E. Paul Hovey at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, on January 17, 1980. In this interview, Wright discusses his family background and early life as the child of missionaries in Persia, which is now known as Iran. He also talks about the political situation in Iran at the time of the interview in 1980. He briefly talks about his service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in France during World War I, then discusses his reasons for attending McCormick Seminary. He talks about serving as a Presbyterian minister in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. He then speaks about serving as minister at the First Presbyterian Church in Portland, including the acquisition of the land for the Menucha Retreat and Conference Center. He describes his service as moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, including his work on behalf of refugees. He closes the interview by talking about books he wrote and his involvement with Lewis and Clark College, and he shares his thoughts about the future of the Presbyterian Church.

Dates

1980 January 17

Creator

Wright, Paul S. (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Reverend Paul Stuart Wright was born in born in Tabriz, Persia (now Iran), in 1895, while his parents were missionaries there. His family returned to the United States in 1910. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in France. He later graduated from McCormick Seminary and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. He served in churches in North Dakota, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Oregon. He died in 1994.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (44 min., 23 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history with Reverend Paul S. Wright conducted by E. Paul Hovey on January 17, 1980. Wright was a Presbyterian minister in Portland, Oregon.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of E. Paul Hovey, June 1981 (Lib. Acc. 28442).

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Processing Information

This interview shares an audiocassette with an additional oral history interview also conducted by E. Paul Hovey. That interview, with Reverend John T. Conner, was cataloged separately as SR 9204.