May, 1905.] Memorial— Prof. A. A. Wright. 35^^ 



MEMORIAL OF THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE ON THE 

 DEATH OF PROF. A. A. WRIGHT. 



The Executive Committee of the Ohio Academy of Science 

 adopted the following memorial, prepared at its request by Prof, 

 Lynds Jones, in respect to the death of Prof. A. A. Wright, of 

 Oberlin, a member and former president of the Academy. 



Herbert Osborn, Pres. 

 L. B. Walton, Sec. 



Albert Allen Wright died at his home in Oberlin on April 2d, 

 1905, of acute peritonitis after an illness of scarcely twenty-four 

 hours. Prof. Wright was graduated from Oberlin College, in 

 1865, received the degree of A. M. from Oberlin in 1S6S, the 

 degree of Ph. B. from the School of Mines, Columbia College, 

 1875, was Prof, of Mathematics and Natural Science, Berea 

 College, Kentucky, 1870-1873, and was called to the chair of 

 Geology and Natural History of Oberlin College in 1874. With 

 the change of title to Professor of Geology and Zoology his 

 service at Oberlin has been continuous since his first appointment. 



Prof. Wright was born in Oberlin in 1846. He served as 100 

 day man during the closing days of the Rebellion, and received 

 his baccalaureate degree the following year at the age of nine- 

 teen. He began early to develop his natural taste for science, 

 and soon became recognized as a safe scientific thinker and 

 investigator. He was one who never rushed to conclusions how- 

 ever enticing the facts discovered appeared, but took time to 

 look into every possible avenue of approach to the subject, being 

 satisfied only when his conclusions rested upon a foundation that 

 could not be shaken. Conseqtientlv he was not a prolific writer. 

 Indeed, he gave himself so unreservedly to his teaching and his 

 students that research work was possible only during his brief 

 vacations and at odd hours. 



Prof. Wright was a modest, retiring man, always shrinking 

 from publicity, yet his service to the community and the state 

 becomes conspicuous in his absence. Oberlin's unrivalled water 

 and sewer systems are largely due to his hard study and keen 

 insight. To him is almost wholly due the inception of the topo- 

 graphical survey of Ohio. In this he was at first defeated, but 

 by untiring efforts and dogged determination saw the issue to a 

 successful finish. He was also among the charter members of 

 the Ohio State Academy of Science, which he served as President. 



Probably among his most conspicuous contributions to sci- 

 ence was his correction of Dr. Newberry's error in the true 

 arrangement of the ventral armor of Dinicthys. While the pub- 

 lications over his own name were relatively few, his inspiration 



