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DF Archive - Ed & Bonnie Wright collection |
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I met Ed and Bonnie Wright through a mutual friend, Hi Fli Kites’ Reza Ragheb. Having spent time in Denver before traveling East to Boston and then, finally, to Clayton , California , Ed and Bonnie found Reza to be an engaging friend as well as the consummate kite salesman. Before making kites, Ed and Bonnie purchased the full range of kites that
Living in the Bay Area, Ed and Bonnie quickly befriended George Ham and learned the secrets of the parafoil. They designed and made a number of windsocks, bols, and banners, as well – all built for the strong, gusty winds found around the Bay Area. Ed could be the consummate curmudgeon (as could both Reza and George), but was a keen observer of the kite scene and helped us all recognize the special people in the Bay Area: Lee Toy, George Maurer, Ty Billings, and J R Tolman. It was always special to fly kites at the Berkeley Marina with Ed and Bonnie because by this time they had perfected a parafoil design that flew perfectly in the tricky winds of the Bay. In the nineties, Ed and Bonnie made a number of parafoils in collaboration with Reza, and they were marketed throughout the world by Reza. Traveling to Fano , Denmark three times through the nineties, the Wrights gained a following of serious kite makers who found that their foils were the perfect high wind parafoil for the smooth-but-strong Danish winds. Since Ed’s death, Bonnie has continued to be an observer of the kite world and is a valued Board member of the Drachen Foundation. The donation of their collection to the Foundation gives a first-hand look at the state of the kite movement through the 80s and 90s – sport kites, art kites, and foils – and the noted kite makers of the time. --Scott Skinner
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