Arthur E. Wright II of Downers Grove, 86, whose career included positions in education and mental health, died Tuesday, Feb. 20, in the DuPage Convalescent Center in Wheaton after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Mr. Wright was born in Whiting He earned a bachelor’s degree in science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1941, a master’s degree in education from Northwestern University in 1948 and a doctorate of education from the University of Houston in 1957.
His undergraduate education was interrupted while he worked as a guard in penitentiaries in Leavenworth, Kan., and Terre Haute, Ind. From 1941 to 1946, he served as executive director of the alumni association and coordinator of veterans affairs for IIT in Chicago. The following year, he worked for the Veterans Administration as a training specialist for the severely disabled.
In 1948, Mr. Wright was hired as the assistant superintendent of the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles. From 1949 to 1953, he was assistant principal of United Township High School in East Moline.
From there he moved to Texas, where he was the principal of Hamlin Junior High School in Corpus Christi. In 1957, he was promoted to assistant superintendent and director of research of Corpus Christi Independent School District.
In 1958, he returned to the Midwest to become the superintendent of Community Consolidated Elementary and High School District in Barrington.
In 1961, Mr. Wright became superintendent of the Illinois Industrial School for Boys in Sheridan, Ill., a position he held until 1964.
“That job was full of challenges, but it was probably the high point of his career” said his son, Arthur III. “He was faced with the difficult task of rehabilitating young men with very troubled pasts. Many were boys who had grown up in Chicago gangs and were headed toward a life of crime. He set out to turn their lives around, and in many cases, that’s exactly what he did.”
From 1964 to 1967, Mr. Wright was director of training and special education for the Illinois Youth Commission in Chicago. He later became assistant zone director for mental retardation and executive for the exceptional children’s program of the Illinois Department of Mental Health. He retired in 1974.
Mr. Wright served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946 and again from 1950 to 1952, during the Korean War.
Other survivors include his wife, Sophie; a daughter, Carolyn Swallow; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Toon Funeral Home, 4920 Main St., Downers Grove, followed by services at 11 a.m. in First Presbyterian Church, 4th and Fairview Streets, Downers Grove.
