98 James F. Crow
calculator, which at first he was reluctant to use. But eventually he began exper-
imenting with it. Once I was visiting his ill wife in a hospital when Wright came
in. She asked him if he had emptied the trash, taken out the garbage, and done
a few other things, none of which he had done. She said: “Sewall, you are the
world’s worst husband.” He replied, “I may be a bad husband, but I know what
factorial 69 is.” The significance is that this is the largest factorial that does not
overflow his computer.
For a man of such accomplishment, Wright was excessively modest with a self-
deprecating wit, although he did not hesitate to argue a point on which he had an
opinion — like politics or the shifting balance theory. I have several times repeated
my favorite Wright anecdote, and will relate it here once again. While writing his
books he received a modest stipend from the National Science Foundation. During
this time the Foundation decided to provide an inflationary adjustment to his pay.
He was in his late 80s at the time. When I brought him this good news, he replied
that, according to his careful calculations, his productivity was declining at exactly
the same rate as the value of the dollar and he didn’t deserve a raise. He never
accepted it.
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