Chris Wright has many lasting memories of his father, Rudy R. Wright, one of the founders of the organization that would become Meeting Professionals International.

Above all, his father’s positive outlook on life, sense of humor and commitment to service stand out.

“He always marched to the beat of his own drum,” Chris Wright said. “He believed deeply in serving one’s country and being part of a community. He was the eternal optimist, always upbeat and happy. He had a fantastic sense of humor that he deployed throughout his life and in every setting.”

Rudy Wright, who served as vice president, president and chair of MPI, and authored several books for meeting professionals, died of natural causes on Oct. 23 in Yelm, Wash. He was 91. A decorated veteran, he was among the leaders who gathered in 1972 to form a professional organization, then known as Meeting Planners International, the forebearer to MPI.

Wright served as president and chair from 1981-82, and was president of the organization when Marion Kershner, the first president of MPI, retired when he was executive vice president. At the time, Wright proposed that Kershner be named president emeritus, the first such title in the association’s history.

Wright worked as a professional conference organizer, filmmaker, author and communicator. He was vice president of Manpower Inc. before starting his own company, AV/TV Systems, a media production firm.

Chris said his father produced a 20-minute documentary, Americana 200, during the bicentennial in 1975-76 on the history of America that was shown at the White House to President Gerald Ford.

“His devotion was to the American story,” Chris said.

Wright then formed Convention and Conference Consultants, a professional management company specializing in multinational meetings and exhibitions.

Chris Wright remembers his dad hosting a meeting in the family home’s basement in Chicago with other suppliers with a goal of creating an association and professional standards for meeting professionals.

“They basically came to the realization that meeting planning was the unlucky person’s job,” Chris said. “Everyone realized they really needed to be dealing with a professional. He worked with a small group that created the first credentials. I remember they set the bar pretty high and then figured out they would have to pass the test themselves, but they managed.

“He was an early advocate of professional standards for meeting planners. He went on trips all over the world—China, Thailand, he taught in Egypt. He was really devoted to the idea of international chapters.”

Wright was among the first in his field to earn the Certified Meeting Professional designation.

In additional to his leadership of the association, he authored two books: The Meeting Spectrum and Global Meetings and Exhibitions, the latter with Carol Krugman.

After retirement, under the pen-name R.R. Wright, he became a military analyst and published his novels Tehran Mission and ISIS Defeated. 

Carol Krugman, CMM, CMP, MEd (MPI Rocky Mountain Chapter), remembers meeting Wright in 2004 when he asked her to collaborate on a textbook for the Wiley Event Management Series. Wright had written a series of articles on international meeting planning for industry trade publications several years prior and “as he explained it so persuasively, it would just be a matter of updating and expanding the material ‘a little bit,’” she said.

She recalled that “little bit” of updating and expanding took two years, “during which time I was the fortunate beneficiary of Rudy’s collegial attitude and generosity of spirit.”

“He was as kind and supportive a collaborator as any new author could wish for—skilled, patient and relentlessly professional,” she said. “In the Jewish faith, we say ‘may his memory be for a blessing.’ Over his long and distinguished career, Rudy was most certainly a blessing to many in our industry, as he was to me at a pivotal point during my career.”

“He was as kind and supportive a collaborator as any new author could wish for—skilled, patient and relentlessly professional."

Wright was born May 1, 1928, in Miskolc, Hungary, and emigrated to the United States with his parents, Ernst and Margit Reich, and his brother, Steve, in 1938 as that country was in the throes of a conflict that would be engulfed by World War II. He grew up in New York City, and attended Bedford Stuyvesant High School.

“He was nine at the time when they came over from Hungary,” his son said. “He worked hard to become an American and was very focused on living the American dream.”

Wright returned to Hungary in the late 1980s, visiting his grandfather’s farm in the village of Ónod. “He went up and met the family who lived there now. That was a special visit for him and my mother,” Chris said.

Wright attended the University of Iowa, where he was in the ROTC program, and graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in film studies. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer and served in the Korean War. He emerged as a highly decorated combat veteran, awarded with two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the French National Order of the Legion of Honour. He later served in Special Forces and the 82nd Airborne Division, eventually attaining the rank of major.

After serving in Korea, he met and married Sarah Ann Davis, formerly of Independence, Mo., and they were married for 62 years. Chris said his parents were enthusiastic members of community theater and for many years devoted three months out of the year to participate in plays and productions of Theater in the Rough.

Jonathan T. Howe, MPI’s legal counsel and a longtime friend of Wright, said Wright was “a visionary for why the meeting planner should be recognized as a professional and as an important member of the executive team in strategic planning and direction for success.” He called Wright a “strong supporter of the need for globalization and understanding of the international opportunities and challenges. He was a leader in providing educational programs in the international meeting and event arena.”

Wright, who passed away surrounded by his family, is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their four children Mike, Chris, Marie Perry and Andrew, as well as three grandchildren, Brennen Perry and Gabriel and Joshua Wright.

Chris Wright said he and all of his siblings have followed careers spanning theater, videography, public speaking and as a producer of technology media.

“One way or another, dad influenced our careers,” Chris said. “We have him to thank for that.”

The family is planning a private memorial at a future date.

Chris Wright can be reached at scwrighter@gmail.com.