Judy Wright

By David Allen on January 8, 2012 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

Claremont historian Judy Wright died early Saturday. A former mayor, Wright had been ill for six months but went into cardiac arrest Jan. 1 and was in a coma this past week before being removed from the respirator, according to Karen Rosenthal, a friend and another past mayor.

"It is a huge loss for the community," Rosenthal told me via email. "The flags at city facilities will be flown at half-staff until further notice."

Wright published "Claremont: A Pictorial History" and "Claremont Women: 1887-1950" and was the go-to person for facts and context about local history -- enough so that in my Sunday column I publicly (and innocently) asked for her help regarding the golf carts that used to ply the city's streets. She read this blog and my column and was always there if I needed her. I'm sorry she won't be there any longer.

The Courier's announcement of her death can be read here.

2 Comments

Bob House said:

Very sad and shocking news, although I knew her only from her books, which are true treasures for anyone with an interest in Claremont, and her informative, good-humored posts on this blog.

January 9, 2012 7:39 AM

shirley wofford said:

I empathize, David. I did not know her, but I knew of her. (When a prominent commenter, on the DB reader forums, passed last year, I grieved, because I had considered him a friend, even though, I had never met him, in person.) I'm sorry that you lost a friend and business contact. I imagine, that her family has been touched, by your mention of her, in your 2011, "Windup", column.

[It was odd timing that I asked for her help hours after she died, but that's how it goes. -- DA]

January 9, 2012 1:00 PM