Kenneth Bright; Coach, Chemical Firm Founder

Kenneth T. “Brick” Bright of Camarillo, co-founder of Santa Clara Chemical Co., member of the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame and a former Oxnard High School football coach, died Tuesday. He was 85.

Born in Oxnard, Bright was a graduate of Ventura High School, Ventura College and USC, where he played lineman and blocking back on the football team. He was part of the team’s 35-0 Rose Bowl victory over the University of Pittsburgh in 1933.

After working for Shell Oil Co. in Los Angeles, Bright moved back to Oxnard, where he farmed and ran the family motel business. In 1959, with partner David Newby, he co-founded Santa Clara Chemical Co., an agricultural pest control and fertilizer firm. He ran the company until his retirement in 1977.

Throughout his working years, Bright stayed active in youth organizations.

He served on the board of trustees of the Oxnard Union High School District and coached football at Oxnard High School in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

He was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

“He liked kids,” said his son, Pete Bright of Camarillo. “And he was a big strong man, very gentle, very easy-going. You could tell when he was getting angry because he’d start whistling, and you could tell by the whistle whether he was mad or happy.”

In addition to his son, he is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dorothy; another son, Mike of Riverside; his sister, Rowena Paul of Ojai; three grandsons, and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park in Camarillo. Father Al Smith of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church will officiate.

Donations may be made to the Ventura County Farm Implement Building Fund.