Marshall S. Wright Jr.

Marshall "Marty" Wright, 85, passed away peacefully after a two-year battle with cancer Tuesday, July 26, 2011. A native of Portland, Ore., Marty earned bachelor''s degrees in Chemistry (1946) and Philosophy (1952) at Reed College, and his M.A. in Chemistry at the University of Oregon in Eugene (1949). Both he and his future wife, Virginia Ann Shirley, were members of Musicians Union Local 99 in Portland, where they were active local players. By the time of their marriage in 1950, Virginia had become principal clarinetist with the Portland (later Oregon) Symphony Orchestra, and Marty played saxophone and clarinet with local dance bands and played on the road with the Ray Baduc Orchestra (1948) and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (1949). The Wrights moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1952, where Marty played with the Jack Fina Orchestra, Gerald Wilson Big Band, Earl Hines'' Traditional Jazz Ensemble and a quintet led by the late Brew Moore. Marty brought his family to San Luis Obispo in 1960, where he taught Chemistry for 31 years at Cal Poly. Marty took two sabbatical leaves before his full-time retirement from teaching in 1988. He and his family spent the 1967-68 academic year at the University of Oregon, and he and Virginia spent the 1978-79 academic year at the University of Konstanz in Konstanz, Germany. During the spring quarter of 1991, Marty put his chemistry books on the shelf and taught a course in Jazz History at Cal Poly. From 1984 until the spring of 2008, Marty played clarinet, bass clarinet and saxophone with the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra. He performed with the symphony during the concert tour of Spain in 1996, the 2001 concert at Carnegie Hall in NYC, the 2006 performance at the Sydney Opera House in Australia and at the symphony''s June 2008 performance at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. From 1994 until the summer of 2009, Marty was a member of the Royal Garden Swing Orchestra. He can be heard playing clarinet and alto saxophone on the orchestra''s CD, "Best Foot Forward," recorded in 2008. Marty''s brilliant intellect, fine musicianship and marvelously clever and witty sense of humor will live on forever in the memories and hearts of his adoring family and friends. Marty is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Virginia Wright of Shell Beach; daughter, Tracy Wright, of Portland; and son, Jeffrey Wright and partner, Silvia Lopez of Atascadero. He was predeceased by his brother, Frank Wright, in 1984. A celebration of Marty''s life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be sent to the San Luis Obispo Symphony.