Gearld Lewis Wright (February 22, 1933 – July 25, 2002) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who served as the fifth mayor of

West Valley City West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 140,230 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns in ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

from 1994 to 2002.

Early life

Wright was born in Lyman,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

to Alton T. Wright and Ida Mabel Jensen Wright. He graduated from South High School and

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

, was married to Lila Lynn Florence, and was the father of six. Wright served in the U.S. Air Force in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and taught social studies in junior high and high schools for 30 years before retiring in 1987.W.V. Mayor Gearld Wright dies , Deseret News
/ref>

Political career

Wright was an at-large city councilman for six years, and was chair of the city's building authority for six years. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1987, being defeated by Brent F. Anderson, but was successful in 1993 when he defeated state senator Bill Barton. He was reelected in 1997 overwhelmingly over F. Kenneth Olafson by a three-to-one margin, becoming the first mayor in West Valley City history to be elected to two full terms. In 2001 he won an unprecedented third term over city councilmember Janice Fisher, but did not complete that term due to his sudden death resulting from a massive stroke on July 25, 2002. Mayor Wright embraced the city's diversity, guided the city as a venue city during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and oversaw the development of the

E Center The Maverik Center, originally known as the E Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in West Valley City, Utah, United States. Construction on the arena started in 1996 and was completed in time to hold its first event on September ...

, Hale Centre Theatre, Family Fitness Center, and the beginnings of what would become the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. He also began a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

relationship with

Nantou Nantou may refer to: * Nantou County (南投縣), a county in central Taiwan (Republic of China) * Nantou City (南投市), seat of Nantou County, Taiwan * Nantou (historical town) (南头), a historic town and former administrative center of Xin' ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Gearld L. Wright Elementary School in West Valley City was named after the former educator and city official in 2005, as was the "Gearld Wright Classic" girls fastpitch softball tournament (held June 30 – July 2 at the West Valley Family Fitness Center Softball Complex) in 2011.

References

External links

Deseret News article announcing death of Mayor Wright Website of Gearld L. Wright Elementary School, named in his honor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Gearld 1933 births 2002 deaths Mayors of West Valley City, Utah People from West Valley City, Utah Brigham Young University alumni Utah city council members United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War American Latter Day Saints People from Lyman, Wyoming