Remembering Mr. Wright – City
One of the most important people in Chapel Hill died last week. Frank Taylor Wright was as much a fixture on Franklin Street as Sutton’s Drug Store or the Varsity. He was an unbelievable 90 years old. While I was pretty sure that he was well on up there, I had no clue that he was approaching 100 years old.
I remember his fabulous outfits, and I mean outfits that that would put any NYC designer to shame. He coordinated everything carefully. He was up at 5 a.m. every morning except Sunday, dressed in a suit that matched, and caught the 7 a.m. bus to Chapel Hill. Here he would walk the streets, parading in a way. Students would talk to him, and if you spoke to him long enough he would show you his portfolio. He had it done many years ago, by a student who wanted him to show off his collection.
I loved speaking to Mr. Wright. I really did, and it’s not just because I love talking to older people. He was a really nice man who remembered everything about Chapel Hill. If you couldn’t remember the name of the place that had been in a space before, he could. It was as if Franklin Street was imprinted on his mind even if he wasn’t imprinted on its history. Until two years ago, when someone did a mural in the Bank of America building on the way to Goldie’s. Sure enough, there was Mr. Wright, sitting on a bench, smiling broadly and wearing his famous aubergine suit. I loved that suit. And loved him.
Sometimes I worry that the character of Chapel Hill is being lost as quickly as it was developed. We are losing people who remember it before Qdoba occupied the corner of Franklin and Columbia, and before Aveda took over the space once reserved for the Michael Jordan Steakhouse- 23. Does anyone besides me even remember that? Changes are a constant on Franklin. This year alone a bakery is coming into a space that once sold Greek attire, and Julian’s opened up across the street. Kerr Drugs closed and that space remains empty.
It’s hard to let go of what is at once familiar. It’s hard to admit that things change, that people’s tastes change. I remember being very upset when the Visart down Franklin (it’s now Chipotle) closed. They couldn’t compete with other video sources, such as Netflix. And yet, I didn’t go there every weekend. Only when I really wanted to rent a movie. I just hope that CHapel Hill can take a second to stop and think about what is great about this place. And hold onto it. And I hope we all remember Mr. Wright.
“I have to believe people were born for something, and I was born to dress.” -Mr. Frank Taylor Wright
