Sophie B. Wright
Sophie B. Wright (1866–1912)
Sophie B. Wright began her life’s work as an educator when she was only fourteen years old, opening a day school for girls in a spare room in her family home in 1880. Her career in education grew to include operating the Home Institute, a day and boarding school for girls. Within the institute’s facilities, she also operated a free night school for working men and boys.
In addition to her career in education, Wright worked as the state secretary for the King’s Daughters and Sons, a Christian charitable organization. It was in this role that Wright helped open the Home for Incurables, a care facility for disabled children in New Orleans, and the Rest Awhile, a retreat for underprivileged women and children in Mandeville.
In 1903 Wright was awarded the Daily Picayune’s Loving Cup, an award given annually to celebrate the philanthropic work of a local New Orleanian. Wright was the third person and first woman to receive the award. Shortly before her death in 1912, the Sophie B. Wright School, a high school for girls, was named in her honor. Following her death, a park on Magazine Street, near the former site of the Home Institute, was also named in her honor. A statue of her, sculpted by Enrique Alférez, was erected in the park, and an adjacent street was renamed Sophie Wright Place.