September 23, 2005

Featured Dothan Faculty - Dr. Burton Wright

DOTHAN - For more than 15 years, Troy University Professor Dr. Burton Wright has been serving up sociology lessons on the Dothan Campus with a smile and plenty of one-liners. Dr. Wright believes laughter is the key to good health.

“Laughter activates a pleasure center in the brain,” Dr. Wright said, “which spurs production of immune cells that resist illness.”

At 89-year-old, Dr. Wright is the picture of health. He continues to teach full-time and has no plans to leave the classroom. “It is fun for me,” he said.

The octogenarian is able to share a wealth of life experiences with his students. He recalls the time when his family relocated to Seattle because of the Great Depression. He also served in World War II, doing tours in the Navy in both the Panama Canal and the Pacific.

Dr. Wright holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington. He also earned a doctorate from Florida State University. Three textbooks are among the sociologists many accomplishments.

These days, Dr. Wright is turning his attention to fiction. He has written a World War II novel, which he hopes to see in print. In his spare time, he also reads, works out and is devoted to his wife, Marie.