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His Spirit Flows On

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By MIKE SALINERO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

TAMPA - With a soft breeze blowing off the river he loved, Alan Wright was remembered Tuesday afternoon as a modest man who accomplished much but always gave others the credit.

Several hundred friends, associates and family members gathered at River Tower Park in Sulphur Springs to honor the man known as "Mr. River." Wright, 54, died Dec. 21 after a yearslong battle with cancer.

Over several decades, Wright was the behind-the-scenes champion for numerous environmental and historical restoration projects. He was instrumental in getting the city to purchase the property around the old water tower in Sulphur Springs and having the tower lighted and restored.

Joe Napoli, Wright's brother-in-law, grew up in Tampa and often wondered why the city had allowed the historic tower and surrounding property to slide into disrepair.

"I'm a native Tampan; that tower was important to me," Napoli said. "How could I have ever known or guessed that all the things I wanted for this tower, that my future brother-in-law would make this happen."

Wright also was an early proponent for restoring the freshwater flow to the lower Hillsborough River. The river had grown increasingly salty as Tampa's growing population consumed more and more water from the reservoir above the Rowlett Park dam.

Last year, a negotiated settlement between the city, state and the group, Friends of the River, guaranteed a continuous stream of fresh water that will restore aquatic and wildlife habitat.

Chris Duffy, a longtime friend and co-worker at the City-County Planning Commission, said Wright was able to accomplish his goals through education rather than confrontation.

"He brought the river to the forefront of our lives through education," Duffy said. "He dropped his initiatives into everyday conversation."

Wright's sister, Maggie Napoli, said she knew her brother had touched many people's lives but was unaware of how much he was credited with accomplishing.

"He was the stealth helper," she said. "We didn't know what he was doing."

Wright was so unassuming that many acquaintances knew only a small part of what he was doing. Collette Tomberlin and Nicole Brown served with Wright on the Care Council, a volunteer group dedicated to allocating federal funds for HIV-AIDS in an eight-county area. They were unaware of his longtime advocacy of the river.

"We only knew about him in our little bubble," Tomberlin said. "We kept him busy in our world. I didn't know how he was able to do all this other stuff."

Mayor Pam Iorio called Wright the kind of person whose life really did make a difference in other people's lives and in the community. She said he understood the significance of the river, not only environmentally but also historically and culturally.

"He wanted it to be a healthy river because he wanted this to be a healthy community," she said. "All of us can feel Alan's presence here by the river that he loved so well."

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.

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