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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | AUGUST 30, 2020
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City honors woman on her 105th birthday BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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cottsdale resident Athena Wright donned her �inest black, red, and white blouse and waved from the entrance of Pueblo Norte Assisted Living. Surrounding her was her daughter, Diane Wright, and Pueblo Norte staff, one of whom held a sign that read, “Happy 105th Birthday, Athena!” As Aug. 25 marked a milestone birthday for Athena, the city of Scottsdale joined American Legion Post 44 and others for a socially distanced drive-by birthday parade. “She was totally awed,” Diane said. Other participants included Scottsdale Fire, Library, Police, Solid Waste, and Water. Athena also received a special birthday gift from Mayor Lane: He proclaimed Aug. 25 as “Athena Wright Day.” “The beautiful proclamation read and presented to my mother by vice mayor Solange Whitehead was a totally unexpected
New York City until 1941 when she joined the U.S. Army. “Since this was before Pearl Harbor, I asked why and she said that all the boys were joining up, and since she was single, she decided to do the same,” Diane said. Athena entered as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps in September 1941 at Ft. Dupont, Delaware. “She was assigned to a medical unit and arrived in Australia in June 1942,” Diane recalled, adding that her mother Scottsdale resident Athena Wright celebrated her 105th birthday on Tuesday with a drive-by birthday served in numerous station hospitals in Australia and at parade. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer) the 18th Station Hospital in the New Guinea jungle. honor that I don’t believe has fully sunk Athena was relieved from active duty in in,” Diane said. “The parade was a lot for December 1944 and earned Bronze Stars her to absorb.” A Scottsdale resident since 2000, for her service in New Guinea and the East Athena was born in 1915 in Oxford, Mas- Indies during World War II. “My mother is an extremely strong and sachusetts. After graduating from high school, she independent woman, traits that have became a registered nurse and worked in served her well throughout her long life,”
Scottsdale teen is a Stamps Scholar
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Scottsdale teen is one of 267 top students across the country have won Stamps Scholarships. Pri Karlapudi, who is entering the University of Arizona to study physiology and medical sciences, joins what Stamps Scholarships of�icials call “an accomplished network of highly driven individuals who are committed to leaving an impact on their local and larger communities.” Selected from over 263,000 applications, the 15th class of Stamps Scholars was chosen by their universities and colleges for academic excellence, leadership experience, dedication to service,
and exceptional character. Pri was in the top 10 of her graduating class with a 4.7 GPA and was a National Merit Scholarship winner. A varsity swimmer who also is in the J Swim Club at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community center, she was National honor Society president and a member of the HOSA Future Health Professionals club, Society of Women Scholars and Spanish Honor Society. A research intern at mayor Clinic's orthopedic department, Pri also was �inance director for the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition. At most partner universities, the
Stamps Scholarship covers a full ride all four years of undergraduate study and includes enrichment funds for academic and professional development such as, study abroad and research. Stamps Scholars have used their funds to conduct scienti�ic research in Antarctica, study abroad in Jordan and attend a medical Spanish program in Ecuador. “This year’s group of new students join us at a time when our alumni network has grown stronger and more capable to be leaders in innovation across STEM, humanities, business, and other fields,” said Roe Stamps, founder of the Stamps Scholars Program.
Diane said. “It started as soon as she graduated from nursing school and immediately moved to New York City from her Connecticut village.” During her time in the Paci�ic, she married Diane’s father, a major in the medical corps, and became pregnant with Diane. The family eventually settled in Washington D.C., where Diane’s father gave up his commission to help set up the Veterans Administration, where he worked in the Department of Medicine and Surgery until his retirement. Athena went on to work at Mt. Alto Veterans Hospital through 1967 and in 1968 transferred to the National Institutes of Health, where she remained until her retirement. She relocated to Scottsdale in 2000. “This parade and the recognition by the city of Scottsdale and the American Legion are a wonderful tribute to her long life and public service in the military and later at Mount Alto Veterans Hospital and the National Institutes of Health,” Diane said.
Pri Karlapudi
