Herbert Wright

Herbert F. Wright 97

Worcester - Herbert Fessenden Wright, Ph.D., a biochemistry professor with a passion for alternative medicine, died February 11, 2015 in Worcester, MA. He was 97.

Wright was born and raised in Worcester, MA. His family owned the Wright Wire Company, which manufactured wire cloth. After the death of his parents, Wright attended The Fessenden School and later The Choate School, where he played football with future U.S. President John F. Kennedy. He graduated from Oberlin College and earned his doctoral degree in chemistry at Cornell University, where he met and fell in love with Virginia Elizabeth Hansen, who was earning her master's degree in anthropology. They married August 27, 1941 in Sage Chapel of Cornell University, and Wright adopted his new wife's son, Christopher Q. Wright.

The couple settled in New Haven, CT, where Wright taught at Yale University before joining the University of New Haven (formally New Haven College) in 1964. A popular biochemistry professor, he founded the Department of Science at UNH. In 1971, the Alpha Chi Honor Society awarded Wright its 'Teacher of the Year Award." Wright chaired the department of Biology and Environmental Science for a decade and hired Dr. Henry Lee, now one of the world's leading forensic scientists.

"I have very fond memories of Herb," recalled Professor Charles Vigue, who after Wright's retirement suggested the department's outstanding student award be named the Herbert F. Wright Biology & Environmental Science Award. "He was a very gentle man who had a scholarly dedication to science."

Adds Professor Emeritus Hank Voegeli: "Herb was a treasured friend and the department is greatly indebted to him-for his leadership and his humanity."

For Wright, science was a creative endeavor. He liked inventions, large and small, and ordered mail-order products that captured his imagination, like an electric fly swatter or a pillow made of magnets. He didn't much trust doctors and thought mainstream medicine was too conservative. At home, Wright developed a foot cream called Podol along with other homeopathic remedies, which he manufactured and marketed. Organization was not his strong suit, and Wright kept his papers in place with a humble clothespin or a rock and displayed Post-It notes around the house to jog his memory.

Though he and Virginia loved to travel, they returned each summer to their home on North Haven Island in Maine, where he reunited with extended family. Wright was drawn to the island's cool climate, quiet pace, and colorful characters. There he played cards with his grandchildren. Lobstermen brought him buckets of clams. He loved dogs and they loved him back, as if he had some special wavelength that reached them.

His beloved wife, Virginia, passed away May 6, 1989. He missed her terribly. "When I was with her, I just felt so marvelous," Wright said. "And when I wasn't, I always wanted to be."

Age never tempered his curiosity. After retirement, Wright took night classes in photography and painting, and tried to master Italian, Spanish and French. In Maine, "Super Grampy," or "Super" for short, set up offices for himself and his great­ grandchildren and danced around the living room when a decent song came on. Despite his red hair and freckles, he sunbathed a half hour a day to be sure he got enough vitamin D, and espoused unappetizing preventive cures such as olive leaf extract and cod liver oil.

"I've given up sex and gambling and smoking and religion," he once said. "Pretty boring."

At age 90, Wright returned to Worcester and lived in the Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence, where he had many friends. He read, followed the stock market, and watched old movies. The Wright family was famous for its longevity. Wright's sister, Harriet Miller Hight, lived in Worcester until age 95. Wright said his goal was to live to 120, though a month before he died, he confessed, 'I'm getting old."

He is survived by: his son, Christopher Q. Wright of Bloomfield, CT; two grandchildren, Christopher F. Wright of Phoenixville, PA and Elizabeth Wright of Greencastle, IN; a nephew, Erwin H. Miller of Worcester, MA; a niece, Edith M. Heier of Minden, Germany; and five great grandchildren. He will be buried next to his late wife in Hope Cemetery in Worcester with close family attending. Calling hours are from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 11, 2015 in the Mercadante Funeral Home and Chapel, 370 Plantation St. in Worcester. Gifts in Wright's memory may be made to University of New Haven, c/o Fessenden Wright Endowed Scholarship, 300 Boston Post Road, West Haven, CT 06516.

www.mercadantefuneral.com