Charlie Wright was an attorney, an author, a philanthropist and collector of western and wildlife art. Charlie was born in 1932 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. As a boy he spent time hiking at Scotts Bluff where he became interested in the Lakota people and especially in Crazy Horse who is reported to have taken his first vision quest atop that same bluff.
Charlie met Suzy while attending law school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and they were married in 1955. Suzy taught first grade at the Irving Child Center supporting them while Charlie completed law school.
Charlie and Suzy’s love of Native American art blossomed over the years. When they purchased a summer home in Montana, they filled it with Native American and wildlife art. When it was time to sell their summer home, Charlie and Suzy wanted to find a home for that art. After much discussion, they decided to gift some 95 pieces of art to the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument to establish the Charlie and Suzy Wright Archway Gallery. Shortly after the opening of the gallery, Charlie and Suzy both passed away.
Editor’s Note: This entry came from Kearney Creates editor Jerry Fox, a collector of Native American Art and a long-time leader in the Museum of Nebraska Art’s Bison Society. Jerry helped arrange for the Wright’s gift to the Archway.
