CHARLES WRIGHT

Our beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather and friend, passed away surrounded by his family on Sunday, January 9, 2011, six days shy of his 80th birthday. Tom succumbed to a very agressive case of pulmonary fibrosis complicated by a bacterial infection. Tom was born in San Mateo, California on January 15, 1931. He graduated from Woodlake High School in 1949 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 from Fresno State College where he met his future wife, Sally Macias, in the Theatre Arts Department. Tom married Sally on June 19, 1954, before being sent to Korea in 1955 to serve in the United States Army. When he returned home he began his teaching career with Fresno Unified at Fresno High School and Hoover High while earning a Masters Degree in Theatrical Lighting. In 1965 he was hired by Fresno City College as Technical Director to teach scene design, construction, theatrical lighting, speech and oral interpretation. In the early 1970's as Theatre Department Chairman, he spearheaded the design, construction and opening of the current F.C.C. Theatre Arts Building which premiered in the spring of 1976 with a production of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Tom remained Theatre Department Chairman until he retired in 1990. In 1989, he founded and directed for 15 years the highly popular and profitable 'New Wrinkles' which has become a mainstay of the Fresno theatre scene. Tom also spent 29 years as the voice of the F.C.C. Rams football and basketball games and in 1994 he was inducted as a cornerstone in the Fresno City College Football Wall of Fame. After retiring Tom and Sally spent many years traveling the world, including many trips to London on a theatre group excursion which Tom helped lead and organize. In 2009 he was honored as one of the first 10 of 100 stars for 100 years celebrating F.C.C.'s Centennial Year at a Centennial Ball on New Year's Eve. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Roscoe and Elsie Wright. He is survived by his wife, Sally, of 57 years; his daughter, Alison Young and her husband, Steve of Los Angeles; his son, Charles T. Wright Jr. and his wife, Carolyn of Tehachapi; his grandchildren, Amanda and Charles 'Tommy' Wright III; he also leaves his sister, Barbara Kelley. A Mass will be held at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, on Friday, January 21, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. followed by interment at Fresno Memorial Gardens. A Memorial Celebration will be held in the same Fresno City College Theatre Arts Building which he built and created so much magic and memories in the following day on Saturday, January 22, 2011, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Remembrances may be made to the Fresno SPCA, 103 S. Hughes Ave, Fresno, Ca 93706 or the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis @ www.coalitionforpf.org NEPTUNE SOCIETY OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 1154 West Shaw Avenue Fresno, California (559) 222-7764