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Jean Elizabeth Geiger Wright
Jean Elizabeth Geiger Wright
Born	Jean Elizabeth Geiger; 1924; Atlanta, Georgia; United States
Died	March 4, 2002 (aged 77–78); Cobb County, Georgia, United States
Alma mater	Washington Seminary (1942)
Occupation(s)	Conservationist, educator, animal activist
Known for	Jean and Elwood Wright Environmental Education Center

Jean Elizabeth Geiger Wright (1924 – March 4, 2002) was an American conservationist, educator, and animal activist.^[3] After beginning with her family's own house and 19 acres (7.7 ha)^[4] farm property in Cobb County, Wright worked to restore multiple plots of land in Pickens and Union Counties. Her former property was purchased by Cobb County in 2003 for $650,000, far below market price, and today operates as the environmental education conservation, the Jean and Elwood Wright Environmental Education Center.^[5]

Early years

Jean Elizabeth Geiger was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1924 to Mr. and Mrs. Lester Henry Geiger. She graduated from Washington Seminary in 1942^[2] and worked for a time at the First National Bank.^[1]

Conservationism

In addition to restoring her own property in Cobb County, Wright worked with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on its Weekend for Wildlife (WFW) project, which included annual fundraisers on Sea Island; the Environmental Resources Network (TERN); the Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia (MCGTA); the Georgia Native Plant Society (GNPS); the Nature Conservancy; and the Southeast Land Preservation Trust, where she served as a director.

After the Wrights' deaths and the county took over ownership of their property, their house was converted to classroom space. The Wright Center was officially declared a wildlife sanctuary by the Atlanta Audubon Society in early 2019^[4] and features nearly two miles of trails.^[6]

Animal advocacy

Wright was a central figure in working to pass two bond referendums, in 1978 and 1992, to expand existing animal shelter facilities. She also worked with the Humane Society to bolster adoption rates, co-established the Homeless Pet Foundation, and lobbied the Georgia General Assembly to pass animal protection legislation. Wright became a member of the Cobb County Animal Control Board in 1987, and served as director of special projects for the Humane Society of Cobb County in the 1990s.

After her children grew up, Wright fostered dozens of dogs and puppies, to the extent she was known as the "Puppy Lady".^[7]

Personal life

Jean Geiger married Ernest Elwood Wright on November 10, 1946;^[1] the couple had three children, daughters Kris and Kathy and son Robert ("Bob"^[8]).^[9] In the late 1940s the family purchased a house and land in Cobb County, which Wright worked for decades to restore to its natural state, seeking out native plants to install.^[5]

Wright died on March 4, 2002.^[9]

Legacy

The Jean and Elwood Wright Environmental Education Center, commonly called the Wright Center, is named after Wright and her husband.

In 2020, Wright was added to the Georgia Women of Achievement Hall of Fame.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Miss Jean Geiger To Wed on Nov. 10". The Atlanta Constitution. October 27, 1946.
^ ^a ^b "Lewis H. Beck Archives: Washington Seminary (1878-1953) Holdings". The Westminster Schools. November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020. 1.34: Jean Geiger Wright Papers Class of 1942.
^ ^a ^b "Jean Elisabeth Geiger Wright". Georgia Women of Achievement. 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Parker, Wendy (April 12, 2019). "East Cobb's Wright Environmental Education Center certified as wildlife sanctuary". East Cobb News. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Sager, Brenden (July 8, 2004). "Changing the Landscape to Resemble Yesteryear is the Wright Way". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. JF1.
^ "Wright Environmental Education Center". Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
^ Sherrer, Brantley (August 7, 1997). "They Call It Puppy Love". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. J1.
^ Hartwell, Thomas (January 3, 2020). "Jean Wright is first Cobb County resident to be inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement Hall of Fame". Marietta Daily Journal. Former Cobb County Commissioner Thea Powell; Bob Wright, Jean Wright's son; and Judy Beard, master gardener project coordinator at the Jean & Elwood Wright Environmental Education Center, inspect a frog pond at the center in east Cobb.
^ ^a ^b "Obituaries - Wright". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 7, 2002. p. F5.