In Memory

Charles Wright

Charles Wright



 
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09/17/14 09:33 PM #1    

Terrence J. Fearon, III

Charles and I were in many classes together, He was an intelligent nice person...

rest in peace Charles


09/27/14 10:50 PM #2    

Johnny Mallory

Charlie was my best friend starting when I attended Brayton School in the second grade. We had little crushes on the same girls in our elementary school classes. Spent our summers at Mabie playground playing all the sports and thought we were daring walking the train tracks to Millburn, Madison, and Morristown. He identified those commuter trains as "creepers" because as you walked the tracks you could barely hear them coming. He was smart, inquisitive, and quite an athlete. "Chop meat" Charlie played guard on our undefeated football team and many a time I crossed the goal line behind him. But what I remember best about Charlie was him being there for you when you needed him. He was there for me upon the death of my brother. We did a lot of first together. We did our first trip to Staten Island together.I was the first to ride in his car that we named "Rodan." He was the first friend in Summit to meet my future wife. I miss Charlie.

 

 


09/28/14 02:53 PM #3    

Jim Grube

Johnnie's comment is eloquent and very moving and I thank you, Johnnie, for your words. 

I wish I had gotten to know Charlie better back then.   As a fellow lineman, Charlie and I did not have the profile of Mallory, Royer, Rhines or Sprow.  But that did not matter.  We were part of a great team, coached by a great coach.  Part of my memory of Charlie connects with the way Howie treated all of his players.  There was this remarkable mix of toughness, excellent coaching and knowing that Howie was a friend and a great person to know and play for. Charlie Wright was just as special to Howie and John Mallory.  An aspect of coaching that doesn't seem to exist much these days.

 

 


09/28/14 07:26 PM #4    

Kirk Hornbeck

Glad to see Johnny call our friend 'Chop meat', because that's what he'll always be known by.  He and I were close in the earlier days (Brayton), and as is probably true with everyone, I have some stories that will remain with me:)  He was a good friend.

 


09/29/14 09:39 AM #5    

Bette Williams (McDermott)

I remember Charlie from the Brayton years also. It is sad to hear of people we grew up with not being here to celebrate fond memories of our youth. 

 


09/30/14 06:46 PM #6    

Monroe (Alex) Brown

Along with "Chop Meat" I thought that Charles was also called "Bo Pete", but I may be mistaken there.  One of his fingers had been blown off with fireworks, and I remember him having a bit of an off-balance appearance in his stance on the line, but he was very quick off the line and packed a punishing impact when he hit you.  Inside, I knew him to be a very quiet and genuinely kind guy.  I remember asking him questions on the practice field, and how honest and sincere he was in trying to help.  I remember being somewhat surprised at this because he was a really serious hitter on the field.  He was one very good reason why our team was successful, and I think that Coach Howie admired Charles.  We all did for the wonderful way he carried himself.  It greatly saddened me to know he was gone from this world.

I really appreciate comments by both Jim and Johnnie, both of whom I was privileged to practice with.  I say '"practice", because, in essence, that is all I really ever got to do with them our Senior Year.  I played part of the 2nd quarter and the second half that Saturday in an away game when Jim's shoulder sustained a season-ending injury, sparing minutes of some other games and no minutes of a number of games including our last championship game with Chatham - something, admittedly, that was hard to bear.  But that is not to be misunderstood or confused with the clear fact that I idolized Coach Howie and placed him on a pedistal for most of my life.  In totality,  no single man in my life, thus far, had the compelling quantatative effect in so many areas of thought and Life than Howie.  He lit a sustaining fire within me that lasts even until now, as I am writing this.  It simply became the basis of attitude, pursuing success, excellence and finally achieving this!  I could write a book, even now, and it would be a book of some length about the man and the invaluable things I learned from him, but I just had to say this for now.  Coach had to make some hard choices for the best interests of the team and I came out short on that deal, but we all know he put the best men he could on the playing field in Summit, 1963; and the results supported that.  My job was to help on the practice field to help make folks better at what they did.  In our 1964 year book signings Jim and 'Killer' Sid indicated I did this well.  Howie sought me out after the game and apologized for not giving me some playing time in our last game as Seniors for Summit against Chatham.  He knew how much that hurt.  That was the kind of man he was!  At that time, that was enough for me.  Those experiences that year became 'game-changers' in later life.

Best wishes to all the great guys I knew in Summit Sports.  May God bless and keep Charles and Coach Howard Anderson, always and forever.

 


10/01/14 03:36 PM #7    

Siddeeq W. El Amin

Monroe, yes we also called him "Bo-Pete."  And he was one tough man on the line.  He was always a true friend.


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