The Hillsborough River loses a champion

"Mr. River'' did what he could for the river and its ecosystem.

By STEPHANIE HAYES, Times Staff Writer
Published December 22, 2007

TAMPA - They were almost serendipitous, the circumstances.

Alan Wright had spent years championing the Hillsborough River, the manatees in it, and the ecosystem encompassed by it. It was everything.

But now, the cancer was ready to take him. Mr. Wright was living his last days at Melech Hospice in Temple Terrace, in a room coincidentally decorated with manatee pictures.

It hadn't rained much lately. But early Friday morning, the skies opened up, soaking the ground, filling the river.

His partner, John Wilshusen, held Mr. Wright. He told him that he'd done all he could here.

After the rain stopped, Mr. Wright died. He was 54.

* * *

Everyone called him "Mr. River."

For more than 20 years, Mr. Wright was an urban planner with the Hillsborough Planning Commission, working for the well-being of the Hillsborough River.

The river's problems were the result of apathy and unintentional neglect, he believed. He was amazed that the huge body of water went so unnoticed.

"People cross the river all the time and don't even know it," he told the St. Petersburg Times in 1997. "As this thing winds around, it goes through people's lives. They need to know about it."

He talked to people about water conservation and saving the manatees that lived there. He was pivotal in starting the annual Hillsborough River Cleanup.

Mr. Wright helped establish the City of Tampa River Tower Park. He pushed to light and restore the historic Sulphur Springs Water Tower and create a nearby youth recreation center. In May, a portion of the Hillsborough River Blueway was named for him. He produced a quarterly newsletter for those who lived along the river. He wrote articles and drew cartoons.

Just one street separated the river and his Seminole Heights home. He'd often walk along the river, or stare out at it.

* * *

At meetings, he held his tongue. When people whipped into frenzies, he reeled them in.

"He let people say what they wanted to say," said Phil Compton, a member of Friends of the Hillsborough River. "Then Alan would always get to the heart of things and remind people of what they had forgotten."

At work, he was the first one in, bright in the mornings. He'd pop around friends' doors to share a funny quip or a bit of news. He'd tell Ray Chiaramonte, the commission's assistant executive director, about restaurants where he might have luck with his side career singing standards.

"He was always trying to find jobs for me," Chiaramonte said. "He'd tell me, 'What you're doing is important. You don't think people appreciate it, but you're looked on with respect.' "

At home, he relished his space. He was an artful decorator who had a sweeping floor-to-ceiling tree sculpture in his living room. His back yard was a groomed jungle.

In life, Mr. Wright lost many friends to AIDS. He was involved with the Ryan White AIDS charity, and the establishment of the AIDS Memorial Park on Bayshore Boulevard.

But even when his schedule exploded, he never missed dinner with Wilshusen, 46. They were together 15 years.

"He just had a way of looking at you, smiling, saying something that you knew was genuine," Wilshusen said. "It was an aura that put you at ease."

* * *

He worked until the end of October. Then, it got too hard.

Friends were optimistic about his outlook - maybe overly so. A couple weeks ago, Mr. Wright called Chiaramonte.

"We had a long conversation," he said. "The purpose was to make sure that I understood what was going to happen, and he wanted to know that I would be okay."

Colleagues wrote letters to say goodbye, or share thoughts they couldn't express in the confines of an office. Friends visited in droves, and nurses joked about the party.

There are no plans for a public service - Mr. Wright didn't like attention, Wilshusen said. He just asked for his ashes to float down the Hillsborough River.

Reach Stephanie Hayes at shayes@sptimes.com or 727 893-8857.

Alan Wright

Born: March 22, 1953

Died: Dec. 21, 2007

Survivors: Mother, Evelyn Wright; father, Robert Wright; sister, Margaret Napoli; partner, John Wilshusen.

[Last modified December 22, 2007, 12:06:31]