In Memoriam: Diana Wright

The History Department is deeply sorry to inform the campus community that our treasured colleague Dr. Diana Wright passed away on Sunday, December 7. She was surrounded by some of her close friends and passed peacefully. 

At Professor Wright’s request there will be no service. We thank those of our colleagues who worked so tirelessly to make her last days more comfortable. 

Professor Wright came to the History department in 1997 having completed a BA and MA at the University of Michigan and a PhD at the University of Toronto. She was a learned scholar and she published widely on the subjects of gender and religion in early modern Japan.

Professor Wright's classes were notable for the mutual respect and trust that she developed with students, and they were characterized by her professionalism and rare sense of humor. During her time at Western, Professor Wright was a leading member of the East Asian Studies faculty and colleagues in that program regarded her as a model faculty member.

Professor Wright served the university community with distinction for nearly two decades. She will be dearly missed.​