dr. roosevelt “rick” wright is a mentor of mine.

i met the professor of television, radio, and film in the beginning of my freshman year at syracuse university. after attending the newhouse school of public communications convocation, i soon realized that if you wanted to learn radio, you wanted to befriend dr. wright. after all, he’s the only professor currently working in commercial radio, hosting a sunday afternoon show on WPHR-FM – Power 106.9.

he helped me get my foot in the door, literally, at clear channel radio in syracuse, ny. the advice and insight he’s shared with me, both on a personal and professional level, are priceless.

i couldn’t have asked for a better person to lead me through the successes and failures, as well as the trials and tribulations of starting a career in broadcasting.

on sunday, dr. wright uncharacteristically did not arrive at the clear channel syracuse studios on time for his 1PM show. coworkers, friends, and family tried to contact him, but to no avail, no one knew where the doc was.

turns out, dr. wright had enlisted the help of medical doctors. after slipping and falling on a brick walkway outside of the building, doc suffered an asthma attack. he crawled to his car, climbed inside, and drove himself to a hospital.

after being released from the medical center, dr. wright drove back to clear channel. expecting many guests during his show, as well as questions from a worried staff, the good doctor wanted to make sure all loose ends were tied up, as if expected to tie those ends immediately after his release.

although shocking and unfortunate, this story isn’t surprising to those who are close with dr. wright. he loves radio, and he loves people. furthermore, doc’s will and fortitude have been tried and tested on many occasions. he’s a retired navy captain, and was the first african-american professor hired to the newhouse staff.

thankfully, dr. wright is okay and now resting comfortably. i’m gratefulness to God that no further physical harm was caused by the accident. and i’m reminded how strong the person i leaned on the most during college is, both figuratively and literally.

(below are two segments i hosted with dr. wright since leaving syracuse for nepa).