Evelyn Mae Cullander Wright

I'm heartbroken to hear of Evelyn's passing. I was fortunate to have her as a teacher at Western in the late 1980's. We even went camping in eastern Oregon together to attend a Pow-Wow outside of La Grande. I considered her to be my only mentor. I last spoke with her on the phone in 2015 or so. I have always been worried that I'd never see her again before she passed away, and that has happened. She spoke with great love about her children and grandchildren. What an amazing soul she...

I will miss Evelyn Wright's easy smile, gravely chuckle and contagious curiosity for life. I met Evelyn in the 1980s, when I was a Western Washington University undergrad working on the editorial staff of "Jeopardy Magazine." Her office was across the hallway, so we chatted about literature--of course. For decades afterward, we'd bump into each other at Village Books. Always, Evelyn's warmth and curiosity for new literature and life remained untarnished. Once I asked, HOW do you stay so...

I will miss a dear colleague and friend of some 40 years who was always there for all of us. Evelyn was a caring and giving person with a compelling social consciousness who made this world a little brighter. Her legacy is in all the students she ever taught, all the inquiring ideas she evoked on our professional journal, all the friends whose lives she enriched, and all her children and family that remained the most important part of her life.

I enjoyed working with Evelyn on the board at Spinnaker Reach. She was a person who moved there and then became involved. Loved her sweet disposition and her knowledge and helpful spirit.

I got to know Evelyn through her work with the Academy for Lifelong Learning at WWU. We always wrapped up work conversations quickly so we could have a nice chat and catch up on what was going on in each others lives. She was such a wonderful person. So positive. I will truly miss her.

No one lit up a room like Evelyn. Years after her retirement from WWU, she would walk into a campus event and faculty would spring up to run and embrace her. What a joy it was to know her!