NEW MEXICO MILITARY INSTITUTE
HALL OF FAME
SIR WILLIAM THEODORE WRIGHT, JR. 1963 JCG

 

 

William Theodore (Ted) Wright was born in Bremerton, Washington, to William Theodore Wright, Sr. and Pauline Jones Wright.  New Cadet Wright reported to New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in the fall of 1961 as a second classman on a full scholarship to play Bronco football.  He was selected as a Junior College All American running back and was co-captain of the team in 1963.  Cadet Wright served as the First Class vice president in 1963.  After graduating from NMMI, he proceeded to the University of Nebraska on a full scholarship.  He played on the Cornhuskers football team, graduating in 1965 and then began his long and distinguished career.  His first job, alongside his father, was as the vice president of the Coachlight Inn in Bakersfield, California.  Wright attended Officers Candidate School at Fort Lee, Virginia, in the Quartermaster Corps.  He was then stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he served as the manager of the Officers’ Club.  When he left the service in 1970, he was the general manager of the Fort Shafter Officers’ Club in Hawaii.  His next move was to be the general manager for the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila, Philippines.  Mr. Wright was one of the three founders of Regent International Hotels and operated their facilities in Hong Kong, Sydney, Bangkok, Malaysia, Panama, New York and London among others.  He took a short break from his operational duties to attend Harvard Business School in a program for management development sponsored by Regent International.  He was awarded the certified hotel administrator designation in 1981 from the Education Institute of America Hotel and Motel Association, which is the highest credential offered by the Educational Institute.  Later, he was elected to membership in the Young Presidents’ Organization, a worldwide organization of more than 3,900 successful young chief executives who became president of eligible companies before age 40.

Continuing his work in the hotel industry, he led teams that won more than 100 industry and community awards for excellence.  In his various roles with Regent, he was responsible for the development and project hotel management of Regent hotels in Fiji, New Hebrides, Honolulu, Bangkok, Sydney and Auckland.  Mr. Wright was the development manager for The Park Hyatt in Sydney, which was originally to be a Regent Hotel.  He is currently president and chief executive officer of Solitaire Partners, a private equity group building and buying hotels in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

In 1999, Queen Elizabeth, II presented Sir William with the Order of Australia “AM” (a Knighthood) “for services to tourism, the arts and the community”.

Sir William has been an active community and civic leader, active in a numbers of positions.  He was the longest serving chairman of the board for the Sydney Convention and Visitor Bureau and Tourism Training Australia, both government-appointed positions.  He chaired the Sydney Theater Company Foundation, was a board member of the Australia Opera International Counsel, The Young Presidents’ Organization, and a professor of marketing at the University of New South Wales, as well as, a public policy advisor to the governments of Malaysia, Australia and the state of New South Wales in Australia.  Sir William was a member of the bid committee and had been offered the role of chief executive officer for the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. 

Sir William Theodore (Ted) Wright, Jr. 1963 JCG is a patriot, model citizen and loyal alumnus who has always lived by the NMMI credo of “Duty, Honor and Achievement”.

Inducted 20 October 2011