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A RESOLUTION honoring the life and accomplishments of former Kentucky 1
Senator Joseph Richard Wright. 2
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright was born on July 29, 1940, in Harned, 3
Kentucky, to the late Silas Benjamin Wright, Sr., and Dorothy Penick Wright; and 4
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright graduated from Breckinridge County High 5
School, where he was a member of the Future Farmers of America; and 6
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright attended the University of Kentucky, where he 7
met his beloved wife, Barbara, and graduated from the College of Agriculture with a 8
bachelor's degree in agriculture business; and 9
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright proudly served as a member of the 10
Breckinridge County School Board and the United States Marine Corps Reserves; and 11
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright served as a member of the Kentucky State 12
Senate from 1976 to 1992, representing the state's Fifth Senatorial District, and served as 13
the Majority Floor Leader from 1981 to 1992; and 14
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright was known by his colleagues as a rallying 15
force with the ability to pull very diverse groups of legislators together and as a defender 16
of the legislative process who honored his word and never backed out of a commitment; 17
and 18
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright fought as part of a group of Democratic 19
Senators known as the Black Sheep Squadron to demand that the legislature be more 20
open, transparent, accountable, and, above all, independent from the executive branch. 21
The group ultimately gained the support of Senate Republicans, and together their 22
movement flourished under the administration of Governor John Y. Brown Jr. and helped 23
shape the legislative process into what it is today; and 24
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright had great love and passion for farming and 25
agriculture, which led him to serve on the board of directors of the Burley Tobacco 26
Growers Cooperative as a member, and eventually as president in 1995. He also co-27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 222
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founded the Kentucky Future Farmers of America Foundation Board, where he served for 1
12 years; and 2
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright received many awards and recognitions for his 3
dedication to service and agriculture, including the Kentucky Farm Bureau Distinguished 4
Service Award, Thomas Poe Cooper Distinguished Farm Leadership Award, UK 5
Agriculture Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award, and many more; and 6
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright dedicated his entire life to serving his family, 7
his church, the people in his community, and the people of the Commonwealth of 8
Kentucky; and 9
WHEREAS, Joseph Richard Wright passed away peacefully at Baptist East 10
Hospital on July 15, 2023, at the age of 82, surrounded by his loving family. He is 11
survived by his wife, Barbara; his siblings, Rosemary Alexander, Ben Wright, Susanne 12
Jenkins, Rebecca Glasscock, and Judy Beth Oglesby; his children, Barbara Ledman, Julie 13
D. Cheetham, Lydia C. Grimes, and Earl F. Wright; and his 14 grandchildren and one 14
great-grandchild; 15
NOW, THEREFORE, 16
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 17
Kentucky: 18
Section 1. The members of the Senate do hereby honor the life and 19
accomplishments of former Kentucky Senator Joseph Richard Wright and posthumously 20
recognize him for his many accomplishments and dedication to the Commonwealth of 21
Kentucky. 22
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 23
Resolution to Senator Gerald Neal. 24