‘Good News’ Publisher in the Wright Place for Honor

George Wright’s policy during more than 30 years of publishing the Artesia News was to print mostly good news about Artesians.

“We censored the news pretty carefully. I always covered the Sheriff’s Department to make sure negative stories stayed out of the paper,” Wright said. The 88-year-old former newspaperman said he once fired an employee who printed a story about a murder. “He did it while I was on vacation,” Wright said.

Wright also rarely missed City Council meetings after moving to Artesia in 1944.

Now, city officials have decided to name a street in Wright’s honor. Wright Place is on a cul de sac of tract homes in the southwest corner of the community, several blocks from Wright’s home on 181st Street. “Wright Place has a certain ring to it,” the former publisher said.

“We try to honor our old-timers,” veteran Councilman Ronald Oliver said. “George has been involved with the city for a long time. He has always tried to help the community.”

Wright, his wife, Lucille, and their daughter Shirley published the newspaper until selling it in the late 1970s. Lucille Wright died more than 10 years ago. “I’m just sorry Lucille is not here to share it with me,” he said.

A native of Nebraska, Wright met Lucille at an Omaha newspaper. After they married, the couple moved to California in 1934 and worked on numerous Los Angeles and Orange county newspapers before purchasing the Artesia News.

Wright sold the paper in the late 1970s, then ran a printing shop for several years before retiring to travel throughout the country.

Two Long Beach Unified School District teachers excelled in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii this fall.

Klaus Barth and Bob Piercy competed in the event that included a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile marathon.

Barth, swimming and soccer coach at Wilson High School, finished first in the 40-to-44 age bracket in 9 hours, 50 minutes, 22 seconds. Piercy, gymnastics and soccer coach at Wilson, placed in the middle of his 35-to-39 age group, with a time of 11 hours, 37 minutes.

Cerritos resident Roger Adams, 45, is issuing a warning to all players of the state lottery: Read the small print!

Earlier this year, Adams purchased a ticket and filed it in a drawer. Months later he checked his ticket and found that it contained five of the six winning numbers. Then lottery officials told him he had waited five days beyond the deadline to claim his winnings. All players must claim their prize money within 180 days, according to regulations written on the back of the lottery ticket.

Adams lost $2,996.

Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School teacher Sharon Kuroyama has been honored as teacher of the year for 1990 by the California Council of Adult Educators, South Coast Section. The organization is made up of teachers, administrators and administrative staff of adult education programs in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Kuroyama was also named teacher of the year of the Norwalk-La Mirada Adult School. She uses computers to teach a reading literacy programs for adults.

* John C. Wallace, former chief operating officer of Petrolane Inc. in Long Beach, has received the Distinguished Citizen Award for 1990 from the Long Beach Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.

* Norwalk attorney Janet Snitzer-Coulter has been elected president of the Southern California Applicants’ Attorneys Assn. for 1990-91. Attorneys in the organization specialize in workers’ compensation cases.

* Long Beach personality Thomas (Ski) Demski, known for his collection of American flags and confrontations with Long Beach city officials, recently visited the Vatican, where he presented Pope John Paul II with a small American flag.

* James Guy has been named associate provost for the 1990-91 academic year at Biola University in La Mirada. Guy is an associate professor of psychology.