Herbert Wright.

• Position: Obits

Herbert F. Wright 97Worcester - 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...