Blanca Guerrero Wright

Blanca Zulema Guerrero Wright of Silver Spring, Maryland passed away on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at Arbor Ridge at Riderwood. She was a resident of Riderwood Village Retirement Community.

Born December 22, 1921 in San Marcos, Texas, she was the daughter of the late Alfred Guerrero and the Late Eulalia Lozano Guerrero, lifelong residents of San Marcos, Texas.

Surviving are her husband of 65 years, James R. Wright, sons James A. Wright and wife Patricia; Ronald K. Wright and wife Susan; grandsons Nicholas R. Wright and Nolan C. Wright; granddaughter Rebecca Zulema Wright; and step-granddaughter Gina Valdes. She is also survived by her sister Nelda Neuffer of Honolulu.

She attended public schools and college in San Marcos, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Education in 1942 from Southwest Texas Teachers College (now Texas State University). During WWII she held a position with the US Navy as an International Telephone Censor. Her duty station was Eagle Pass, Texas, a border town on the USA-Mexico border. She also taught Spanish classes to Naval Officers. She remained with the Navy until shortly after the end of WWII.

Convinced that she wanted to become a Spanish teacher, she returned to SWTTC and earned a Master’s Degree in Romance Languages. Subsequently, over a number of years, she did graduate work at the University of Mexico in Mexico City, the University of Texas in Austin, the University of California Berkeley and American University in Washington, D.C, giving her enough credits beyond the Master’s Degree for a Ph.D. equivalent. Likewise, she held Teaching Certificates for Spanish in Senior High School in the states of Texas, California Delaware and Maryland.

She returned to the Rio Grande Valley in 1946 where she accepted a position as a Spanish teacher in Mission Senior High School, Mission, Texas. She taught there for four years. During that time she met and, in 1950, married James R. Wright of Bel Air, Maryland.

With her husband she relocated to Newark, Delaware where he was completing his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. Upon his graduation, they moved to San Antonio, Texas where she returned to teaching for the one year her husband worked at the Southwest Research Institute and Trinity College. In 1952, they relocated to Richmond, California. She became a fulltime housewife and, later that year, the mother of son, James Alfred Wright. She continued graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1955, she returned to teaching Spanish in De Anza High School, El Sobrante, California. In addition to her regular teaching duties, she was a Master Teacher for University of California Education majors who did practice teaching under her supervision. She continued teaching until 1959, the year that her second son, Ronald K. Wright was born.

In 1960, the Wright family relocated to Bethesda, Maryland when her husband accepted a position as Senior Research Chemist with the National Bureau of Standards (now National Institute of Standards and Technology), US Department of Commerce.

She returned to graduate studies at American University and, in 1961, accepted a position teaching Spanish at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland. She taught Spanish at all levels for 21 years at Walter Johnson, retiring in 1982. Even in retirement, she continued teaching Spanish on a part time basis at Senior Citizen Centers in Montgomery County, through Montgomery Community College.

She was a Member of the American Association of University Women, an Emeritus Member of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (past President, D.C. Chapter), member of Alpha Delta Kappa Women Educators Sorority (past President, MD. Beta Chapter), and an Emeritus Life Member of the Montgomery County Education Association.

She enjoyed music, playing both piano and organ, and singing in the Church Choir for more than 30 years. Power boating on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries with family and friends (Potomac River Power Squadron), travel throughout the USA and many foreign countries (75) and Treasurer, D.C. Chapter of the Buick Club of America were activities she pursued over the years.

A lifelong Presbyterian, she was a Charter Member, Deacon and Elder of Saint Mark Presbyterian Church of Rockville, Maryland. She served Saint Mark Church in various capacities for more than 50 years.

A Memorial Service will be conducted at St. Mark Presbyterian Church, 10701 Old Georgetown Road, Rockville (North Bethesda), Maryland 20852 on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 11:00 AM, followed by a reception in the Church Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Saint Mark Church Memorial Fund. Please send condolences to www.josephgawlers.com .