Bagley and Virginia Wright at a “Capote” party in Seattle, 1966. Photo credit: Photo by Dave Potts, Courtesy of the SeattlePI Collection, MOHAI.

Wright moved to Seattle in 1956 with his wife Virginia Bloedel, whose family owned a successful Northwest timber business, and quickly got to work developing what have since become some of the city’s greatest artistic institutions. At the time Seattle’s arts scene was regarded as ‘cultural backwater,’ the Times writes, and Wright took it upon himself to change that. “He understood that a great city had to have great cultural institutions,” his son Charlie Wright told the Times.

And change it he did. The influential philanthropist and developer founded the Seattle Repertory Theatre here in Queen Anne, helped transform the Seattle Art Museum (where his son Charlie now sits as chairman of the board) from a boutique gallery in Volunteer Park to a downtown destination, and had a hand in building the Space Needle, undoubtedly the city’s most iconic landmark. The Wrights were also the first major investors in Benaroya Hall.

“He really planted the first seeds of a vibrant cultural life in Seattle that we all take for granted now,” local arts consultant Susan Trapnell told the Times. “He’s really been an essential donor and supporter of almost every major arts organization in the city.”

From the Times:

In addition to his wife, Mr. Wright is survived by his brother, Dan Wright, of Greenwich, Conn.; sons Charlie Wright, of Seattle and Bing Wright, of New York City; daughters Merrill Wright, of Seattle, and Robin Wright, of San Francisco; as well as 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“We have a great family, thanks to him, and it’s a great comfort. We did have a good time together. Nobody was better company than Bagley. I’ll miss him no end,” Mrs. Wright told the Times.

A memorial service for Wright will be held on Tuesday, July 26 at 3 p.m. at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Capitol Hill. In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested contributions be made to the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Repertory Theatre or the Bloedel Reserve in Wright’s memory.

Read the full story in The Seattle Times.

The fire, which was ruled an accident, took the lives of five family members: Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, 22, Nisreen Shamam, 6, Nyella Smith, 7, Joseph Gebregiorgis, 13, and Yaseen Shamam, 5. Two other family members made it out alive.

An account has been set up to support the family of the victims. Donations to the Seattle Children’s Fire Fund can be made at any Bank of America. Next door neighbor Allecia Clemons is working to put together a community concert to help raise money for the family. Find more information on the event and how to get involved here.

In their honor, friends and neighbors dedicated Queen Anne’s Soundview Terrace Park to Carolyn Margiotta and David Clemetson and their children, Cori, Blake, Miles and Spencer, and Sarah Manning, Rod, Rachel and Gracie Pearson.

They remember the children as best friends and even renamed the park “Rachel’s Playground,” after one of the girls, who would be getting her drivers license this year.

Every year a small group gathers for a memorial service at the park, but as this year marks the 10th anniversary of the crash, friends and neighbors of the families have decided to open up the memorial to the public, in honor of all of the lives lost that day.

Anyone is welcome to join in for music and a candle lighting today, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Rachel’s Playground, located at 2500 11 Ave W. They will be lighting 88 candles – one for each person on flight 261.

Two friends, Mari Ingram and Stephanie Bower, are the organizers behind today’s memorial. For them, even ten years later, they cannot forget their friends.

“It’s hard to imagine an entire family just disappearing,” Bower told KING5. ”At their house you could still smell the coffee on the kitchen table.”

“It’s like they were trapped in time,” Ingram added.

Read more on the 10th anniversary of the Alaska Airlines flight 261 crash at our news partner, the Seattle Times.

Just a reminder that the memorial procession and service for Officer Timothy Brenton is happening tomorrow morning. Approximately 1,000 to 1,500 vehicles will leave the University of Washington at 9 a.m. and travel to the Key Arena for a memorial service, which begins at 1 p.m.
View Memorial Procession for Timothy Brenton in a larger map

The procession alone is expected to last from 9 a.m. to noon, and SDOT has advised commuters to be prepared for severe congestion near the procession path, as traffic will not be allowed to be on or cross the route (including bicyclists and pedestrians). On Queen Anne, 1st Ave N from Denny to Mercer, and Mercer St. from 1st Ave N to 5th Ave N will be closed for the procession arrival, and other roads around Seattle Center will be closed to traffic and parking prior to the event. There will be no parking along the procession path and Seattle Police Department officers will manage all intersections. The Seattle Times has mapped out the procession so you can avoid getting caught in extra event traffic.

The memorial service at Key Arena is open to the public. Doors will open at 11 a.m. The service begins at 1 p.m. There is no formal procession planned for after the ceremony.