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(June 11, 1925 - April 16, 2018)
Albert Raymond Wight was born June 11, 1925, in Gebo, Wyoming, to Anna and Alfred (Ray) Wight; he died peacefully on April 16, 2018, at Spirit Mountain Hospice in Cody, Wyoming.
Wight is survived by his loving wife Herli Pattinama Wight; three daughters: Candace Wight, Anna Brown, and Jennifer McLaughlin; one son Gregory; eight grandchildren: Jomo, Michelle, Albert, James, Rachele, Mabel, Solomon, and Ellis; and nine great-grandchildren: Alexis, Eric, Parker, Roman, Jensen, Sage, Raiden, Ryu, and Goldwin. Wight was preceded in death by his eldest son, William.
Growing up on his father’s ranches in Basin and Kirby surrounded by friends and family, Wight learned the importance of hard work and civic responsibility. He joined the U.S. Army in 1943 and served in intelligence during WWII, the Cold War and the Korean War. During the Korean War, he conducted intelligence analysis and wrote the intelligence summaries for the Army Security Agency, first in Tokyo then in Korea where he was in charge of the Army Security Intelligence with 90 people under his charge. He served also as adviser to the South Korean Chief of Naval Intelligence for his joint Army/ Navy special intelligence unit.
After serving honorably through WWII, Wight left the Army in 1952 and continued his formal education. True to the Renaissance man that he was, Albert obtained a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture and a Ph.D. in Organizational/ Industrial Psychology from the University of Utah. His love for sculpting and the art world, in general, remained a passion throughout his life. However, it was his Ph.D. in Psychology that would frame his professional career in organization and institutional development.
During his long career, Wight served as university instructor, training consultant for numerous major corporations and institutions, as well as financial consultant and planner for many foreign countries through private consultation. He also had a distinguished tenure with the Harvard Institute and the World Bank, and later, became a project manager for legal system reform in foreign countries.
As an educator, Albert’s accomplishments were numerous and varied. He taught others how to live and work in Native American communities, he developed training manuals for the Peace Corps, he advocated for rehabilitation of delinquent boys in Wyoming, and he helped to develop priority education goals for the Teachers Corps in seven Rocky Mountain states.
Once “retired,” Albert went on to publish several children’s books including: “The Wight Way to Read,” “Do Mice Eat Rice,” and “What Do You Do With This Book.”
Finally, in 1974 Wight co-founded the Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research, (SIETAR) an international NGO created to address cross-cultural training. He remained a lifetime honorary board member of SIETAR and was elected as a charter fellow of the Intranational Academy for Intercultural Research.
Albert Wight’s life was a model of engagement and contribution. He never stopped reading, writing, including articulate letters to the editor of local newspapers, and he always enjoyed a stimulating conversation. He wasn’t afraid to challenge deeply held viewpoints because he firmly believed that his experience gave him insight that others might lack.
Always the educator and humanitarian, Albert Wight influenced, mentored, and trained people throughout the world. His memory will persist in his family and in all those whose lives he impacted. His is a legacy that goes wide and deep.
Funeral and burial services with military honors will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, April 30, at the Mount View Cemetery in Basin, Wyoming.
