[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12215]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF IRENE WRIGHT

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 16, 2014

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the ninetieth 
birthday of one of my noted and civically active constituents, Mrs. 
Irene Dugan Wright of Dallas, Texas.
  Irene was born on July 19, 1924, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 
was the oldest of three children. Both of her parents were hearing 
impaired and, many years later, she would come to serve as an 
interpreter for the deaf at church. After spending most of her 
childhood in Philadelphia, Irene graduated from Commerce High School in 
Springfield, Massachusetts. She went on to work as a secretary for 
Trinity Church in Springfield and met her husband, Bob, through a 
church event and they married in 1951.
  Irene's life in Texas began in 1954 when the family moved to Dallas 
on a temporary assignment from the Sun Oil Company. It did not take 
long for Texas to appeal to the Wrights, and they successfully 
requested that the assignment in the area become permanent.
  Since moving to Dallas, Irene has continuously been very active in 
our community's civic and political life. The first time she ever voted 
was for Dwight D. Eisenhower after attending a debate between him and 
Adlai Stevenson. In 1957, the Wrights were having air conditioning 
installed in their home when they were asked to host a backyard event 
to gather and identify Republicans in Dallas County. Since then, Irene 
attended many state conventions in Texas and was an alternate delegate 
to the Republican National Convention in her birthplace of Philadelphia 
in 2000. She has worked on numerous campaigns, including those of John 
Tower, Jim Collins, and Sam Johnson.
  Irene also maintains active ties with her faith community. She is not 
only a member of the Golden Corridor Republican Women's Club but also 
serves as a chaplain. She is a member of Christ Church in Plano, Texas, 
and has taught women's Bible Study for thirty-five years. Irene and 
Bob, who passed away in 2003, had three children together--Susan, Lisa, 
and John--and she has six grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to recognize the ninetieth birthday of 
one of my most civically engaged constituents, Mrs. Irene Dugan Wright. 
I ask all of my distinguished colleagues to join me in celebrating this 
milestone in her remarkable life.

                          ____________________