COSTA MESA : Health Professor Named OCC Faculty Member of the Year

Physical education and health professor Barbara J. Wright has been named faculty member of the year for 1994-95 at Orange Coast College.

Presenting the fifth annual award was the faculty’s Academic Senate, which represents the 23 academic divisions on campus.

A Los Alamitos resident, Wright has taught at Orange Coast for 22 years. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education from Cal State Long Beach.

“I’m overwhelmed by this award,” Wright said. “I’m stepping into some extremely large shoes.”

Four professors were nominated by their colleagues for the award. Students then submitted letters of recommendation on behalf of their favorite instructors, and the winner was chosen by a vote of the full-time faculty.

The other nominees were Kevin T. Ballinger of Lake Forest, an associate professor of neurodiagnostic technology; Art Moore of Los Alamitos, an assistant professor of mathematics, and Elizabeth Netoliczka of Irvine, a Spanish instructor.

A 50-year-old Alabama native, Wright coached the Orange Coast women’s gymnastics team for 10 seasons. Her team won the state championship in 1982, and she was named coach of the year in 1983 for community college gymnastics in California. She also coached badminton and cross-country teams at Orange Coast.

A triathlete for more than a decade, Wright has competed in the grueling Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. Two years ago she finished third in her age bracket in the event with a time of 11 hours, 55 minutes. The Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bike race and a 26.2-mile marathon run.

Her husband, George, is also a competitive triathlete. They have two children.

Before joining the Orange Coast faculty in 1973, Wright taught physical education classes for four years at Santiago High School in Garden Grove. She also coached swimming and gymnastics at Santiago and served as an adviser to the cheerleading squad.