William S. Wright

From Omnictionary

William Stuncles Wright, Ph.D (June 21, 1948 – August 12, 2007) was an English novelist, ichthyologist and web-designer, best known for his 1983 novel Under the Striped Gazebo, his 2004 novel Tolerance For Temporality, and the creation of the massively successful online encyclopedia Omnictionary.

1 Early life
2 Marriage and family
3 Scandal
4 Omnictionary
5 Contribution to science
6 Death
7 Works

Early life

Wright was born to Mary Harrison and Harry P. Wright, the notable amateur enologist, in the quiet village of Sadfun in Suffolk. He attended Sadfun Primary School, where he was one of the best pupils in his class, before continuing to Hupley College and University in 1965, where he studied English Literature, Fine Arts and Marine Biology. It is said that it was here that he began work on his first novel, The Passion I Have For Maud, a work which was left unfinished.

Marriage and family

In 1974, while working on his doctorate in ichthyology at Hupley College and University's acclaimed marine biology department, Wright met aspiring psychologist Ruby Marchlook, with whom he established a close relationship. They married later that year, and their first child, Angela, was born in 1975, with their second child, Robert (now notable footballer Bobby Wright) born in 1979.

Scandal

In 1983, Wright became the subject of a heated scandal when he published his highly controversial book Under the Striped Gazebo. In an interview with Peter Kolpostich in 1984, he claimed that hundreds of death threats were delivered to his house every day (even on Sundays, when people would hand-deliver them). Protesters lined his street, shouting ceaselessly and burning copies of his book. Finally, in 1986, Wright was forced to withdraw all copies of his book from the shelves, and to cease publication. Copies of the book are now rare, and are worth a considerable sum. Recently, a first edition sold at an auction in London for over £7, although there have been recent bids on Ebay starting at $0.99.

Omnictionary

In 2003, with the help of his friend, Alfred Mullings, Wright created the online encyclopedia Omnictionary, claiming that a certain other online encylopedia had become 'too snooty', and had 'forgotten its roots'. Wright wanted to bring back a sense of education and focus to the internet, and so the site was launched. Despite advertisements which appeared on television, in the newspapers, and on the back of cereal packets, Omnictionary was unsuccessful for the first few months. But, in March 2004, prominent millionaire Donald Joplock famously promoted the website, claiming that he never left it, and added to it frequently. This was to be Omnictionary's salvation. Thousands upon thousands of people flooded to the site, and within three months Wright was liked the world over. He took this opportunity to publish his book Tolerance For Temporality, which became an instant bestseller, and made Wright a very rich man.

Contribution to science

Although known to the public for his novels and work on Omnictionary, Wright remains known in the biological community as a brilliant ichthyologist who made great strides in elucidating the biology, behaviour and ecology of the Siamese fighting fish, or beta fish. In a career that spanned four decades he published dozens of studies in such prestigious journals as Ichthyology Quarterly, Hupley's Marine Biology Review, and Aquatic Ecosystems of Southern Bangladesh. He also wrote a number of books on the subject; however, the release of his seminal work, the voluminous Effects of male colouration on female choice in Siamese fighting fish (Beta splendens) sexual selection (1984), was overshadowed by the continuing controversy surrounding his 1983 novel, Under the Striped Gazebo, and failed to achieve his often-stated hope of inspiring the public to a new appreciation of behavioural ecology in fish. Physicist and novelist Carl Sagan once declared Wright, "the Carl Sagan of ichthyology, if I studied fish and weren't famous for it. Actually, I guess Jacques Cousteau would be more like the ichthyology version of me, but Bill's a nice guy too, honest."

Death

In August 2007, Wright went missing, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. A search was conducted, and he was finally found dead at the top of a 56-foot tree in Kent. The post-mortem revealed that he had died from a dislocated neck, but no clue could be attained as to how he had received this fatal injury. His death-date was affirmed to be August 12, and this was confirmed by a note in his jacket pocket which read 'William S. Wright: June 21, 1948 – August 12, 2007'. The note was typed, and, despite thorough tests and investigations, no answer has yet been found as to who wrote it or who killed him.