I've never quite been certain where the attraction to this profession came from, but for the majority of my life, I've secretly fantasized of being a lounge singer. Not that one could make a decent living slouched over a piano, hammering away familiar tunes for people you've never seen before… but if I had been born with a voice to sing, an eye for music and the type of trust fund which absolves one of any obligation to work for a living, I tend to think that I would today be happily nestled away in some nameless lounge, serenading a half-empty club with the old songs which I grew up listening to. I guess that's a lot of "if's." Probably about the same as saying that if I had been born 6 inches taller, could jump through the roof and sink a shot from over 30 feet away, I would be Michael Jordan. But I'm not Michael Jordan. Nor am I Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra or Louis Prima. Who I am is Jim Wright and hopefully by the end of this, you'll know a little bit more about me than when you began (and maybe even more than you wanted to know!).

I was born in March of 1972 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. My mother, Georgia, was a speech therapist (speech pathologist) at the time while my father was a tool and die maker at Snap-On Tools. I was also preceded by one sister, Laura, who I suppose suffered as all older sisters do-- it wasn't long before I perfected the not-so-subtle art of being a pest, while she perfected the infinitely more deliberate art of the karate kick into the groinal area of her young brother. What I'm happy to say is that from the days of antagonizing one another, our relationship has grown and developed to a level I had never expected. She is one of my closest friends, confidantes… and since we now share a house together, all the other adjectives which came to mind will have to be skipped out of a general fear that she'll revert to her old m.o. of karate kicks. Laura was married about five years ago to an amazing man, Martin Knudsen (in fact Martin was the first of her boyfriends who I really liked). Martin has a B.S. in both math and physics from Indiana University and has just finished his Masters of Science in Physics. Laura is finishing her Ph.D. in Linguistics and in her spare time, is preparing to test for her black belt in Aikido (I like to think that my pestering her as a child somehow contributed to her success in martial arts!).

For Mom and Dad, words just can't sum up all that they both mean to me. They raised me with love and affection, offered me constant encouragement in everything I've done and provided one of the best living examples that I could ever hope for. Dad retired less than a year ago, but even in his retirement, has stayed active. He loves to hunt and fish, has served as a deacon for over 10 years at the IFCA church in Princeton, Indiana, is a military history buff, member of the Gideons and is a season ticket-holder for the Green Bay Packers. Mom retired several years ago from teaching speech therapy and has also stayed really active in retirement. She has a great passion for being involved in different church ministries (teaching Sunday School, working in Awana, etc…), is an incredible cook (best lasagna and chili in the world) and is currently compiling a family tree.

While living in Wisconsin, I attended Armitage Academy, a small private school, from first through sixth grade. I then attended Bullen Jr. High School from seventh until midway through my eighth grade year, when my father accepted a transfer to the Southern Illinois Snap-On Tools plant. The move would take our family from living near my father's parents (Richard and Margaret Wright, pictured at left) in Kenosha, Wisconsin...

...to living less than 10 minutes from where my mom grew up (and where her parents--Charlie and Georgia Perrin--still lived) in Indiana. I went to high school at Gibson Southern High School in Ft. Branch, Indiana. My main interests at the time were working on the school newspaper, being involved in our church youth group, running cross-country and playing basketball. I won several awards for journalism at the state level during high school and was selected for Hoosier Boys' State as well as being listed in "Who's Who Among American High School Students."

Following high school, I immediately left for Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana to study journalism. The course my life took from that point doesn't correspond with the plan that I had envisioned while in high school, but I suppose that it rarely does. I left I.U. after my freshman year, and the following year commuted to two local schools (University of Southern Indiana and Vincennes University) while living back home with my mom and dad. A year later, I came to the conclusion that it was important that I find 'my own way' in life… and in September of 1992, I joined the United States Marine Corps. Nearly six years' service in the Marine Corps not only put me in contact with some of the best people I've ever met, allowed me to travel the world and experience different cultures… but it helped me to grow into the man that I wanted to be. After graduating from the recruit training center on Parris Island, South Carolina (3rd Bn) and finishing the training in my occupational specialty in Albany, Georgia, I was assigned to Okinawa, Japan. I originally had planned on staying only a year in Okinawa, but a combination of the wonderful people I had met, the thrill of experiencing different cultures, scuba-diving nearly every weekend and advancing myself professionally (being meritoriously promoted to the rank of corporal) led me to extend my tour for another year.