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Information about the deaths of the following alumni was received in the Office of Development. Please send information to University of North Texas, Alumni Records, P.O. Box 311250, Denton, Texas 76203-1250, fax to (940) 565-4519, send e-mail to amayer@unt.edu or fill out the online form.

Click on the names for more information.

1920s

Willis Lamar Smith ('25)
Maurine McKinney Clark ('27)

 

1930s

Mary A'Lillian Humphreys ('33)
Viola 'Teach' Bayless ('34)
Riley Dee Housewright ('34)

Rebecca Park Malone ('34, '52 M.S.)
Jessie Langston Washington ('34, '62 M.A.)
Opel Lee Allmon ('35)
Dorothy Jane Powers Dillehay ('35)
Robert Millard Rankin
('35)
Curtis Allen Rogers ('35, '39 M.S.)
Ethel Railey Waggoner ('35)
Geneva Bean Franklin ('36)
John M. Smith Jr. ('36)
John F. Stovall ('37)
Perlina I. 'Bell' Towry Sutherland ('37, '42 M.S.)
Tilden Bennett Armstrong ('38)
Minnie Mae Dyess ('38, '52 M.Ed.)
Mona Keeter Hildreth ('38)
Delmer Brown ('39)
Elmo Joy Wilson Ferguson ('39)
John Guyer ('39, '47 M.S.)

Jolly F. Kelsay ('39, '48 M.S.)




1940s

Elry T. 'Mike' Allen Jr. ('40)
Judson Samuel Custer ('40, '41 M.M.)
Margret Massie Chrisman ('41)
Loyd W. Conyers ('41, '47 M.A.)
James Hollis Jones ('41, '46 M.S.)
Emma Lois Rivoire Thompson ('41)
Eulene McLarty ('42)
Arthur Carroll 'A.C.' Sullivan Jr. ('42)
Effie Dot Shepperd Sumrall ('42)
Wallace Harper Mann (attended in '43)
Charles Melvin Mizell Jr. ('43)
Neta Smith Stallings ('45)
Alvin Bishop ('46, '48 M.S.)
Mary Jean Ford Grinnell ('47)
William K. Doggett
('48)
Bobby Tate Candler ('49)
Melva Loftin Cole
('49)
Robert Young Ellis ('49)
Bill Gale ('49)
Ruth Reavley Harris ('49, '50 M.M.)
Paul G. Lane ('49)
Esker Gene Powell ('49, '55 M.Ed)
Rachel Lu Syler ('49)
James Dean Webb ('49)




 

1950s

James Allen Bond ('50)
Ernest Vanoy Farmer ('50)
Orvel Francis Hill Sr. ('50 M.Ed.)
Frank Halbert Madden ('50)
Dowell Hailey ('51)
Rufus Mac Webb ('51 M.A.)
Betty Lou Boone Arnspiger ('52)
Joseph Wesley Hart ('52, '60 Ed.D.)
Gerald Winfield Rushing ('52)
Vannie Lee Randolph ('53 M.S.)
Jean Snyder Flath ('54)
Cecil Flook ('54)
Dorothy Hunt McKenzie ('54 M.Ed.)
Jo Anne Morehead Tate
('54)
Lynn R. Jeffcoat ('55)
Betty Sue Shelton Sawyer ('55)
Guy Hamilton Wheeler Jr. ('55 M.A.)
Morton Henry Arledge ('56)
Carl D. 'Dick' Dixon ('56 M.S.)
Jim S. Lake ('56)
Kenneth Ray Skinner ('56)
William A. 'Dub' Brown ('57)
J.E. Leonard ('57 M.S.)
Larry Ray Reed ('57)
Jack Madison Smith ('57)
Lon Wesley Young ('57)
Shirley Jean Jones Catter ('58)
Robert 'Bobby' Edward Stroope ('59)


 

1960s

W. Beatrice McKenzie ('60)
Mary Frances Walsh ('60)
Virginia Capps ('61)
Mary Gilbert ('61)
John Wesley Mangum ('62)
Felder W. Cullum ('63 M.Ed., '65 Ed.D.)
Elton Bland Carroll ('66)
Linda Jayne Wideman Grant-Carey ('66)
Billy Duke Fortune ('67, '69 M.B.A.)
Robert James Winnick ('67)
Thomas George Boras ('68)






 

1970s

Benjamin Ray Franklin II ('70)
Jerry Layne Cook ('71, '90 M.Ed.)
Norman V. Hollen ('71 M.A.)
Daniel Edwin Neill ('71)
Thomas G. Cuskey ('72 M.Ed., '74 Ed.D.)
Michael E. Anderson ('73)
Kenneth Dale Carney ('73)
Cynthia Ann Hargrave ('73)
Jacob M. Ray Jr. ('73)
Ronald L. Miller ('74)
Billy Bob Savage ('79 M.Ed.)
Scott William Staerkel ('79)






1980s

Karen Sue Faught ('81)
David S. Owens ('82)
Julie Anne Wilcox ('82)
David Porter Murphy ('86 M.Ed.)





 

1990s

Hank Ballenger ('91, '93 M.A., '99 Ph.D.)
Patricia Kathryn Humphries Mueller ('96 M.S.)
James Leon Orr Jr. ('96)
Joell Marie Austin ('97)
Lee H. Bridges ('97 M.A.)





University Community

Garland R. Brookshear ('36, '38 M.S.)
Thomas Shepherd Burkhalter Sr.
Louis Fred Connell Jr.
Walter Delesandri
Lee Eldridge Huddleston
Gerald Wayne Jackson
Leslie Howard Palmer
Gail Smith Rola ('84 M.Ed.)
Velma Olive Smith Selby
Ron Shanklin
Richard Swerdlin


 

 

1920s [ top ]

  • Willis Lamar Smith ('25), San Antonio. He was president of the Jasper Sipes School Book Depository and established other businesses in the book distribution field.
  • Maurine McKinney Clark ('27), Cleburne. She was a retired math teacher who taught at Barstow, Monahans, Aquilla, Itasca and Blum and raised Black Angus cattle with her husband.

1930s [ top ]

  • Mary A'Lillian Humphreys ('33), Dallas. After a few years of teaching, she worked for Monroe Calculating Machine Co. in San Antonio. She later moved to Dallas and retired from R.J DeWees & Son Inc. in 1979.
  • Viola 'Teach' Bayless ('34), Kermit. She taught at the Wink ISD for 40 years. She also helped organize the Winkler County Museum and the Wink chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
  • Riley Dee Housewright ('34), Frederick, Md. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in 1944 and later served as scientific director of the U.S. Army Research and Development Biological Lab. He also worked with Microbiological Associates of Bethesda, Md., the National Academy of Sciences and the American Society for Microbiology.
  • Rebecca Park Malone ('34, '52 M.S.), Decatur. She taught home economics at Alvord High School before retiring.
  • Jessie Langston Washington ('34, '62 M.A.), Friendswood. She received her degrees in Spanish from North Texas.
  • Opel Lee Allmon ('35), Mansfield. She was a home economics teacher at Blooming Grove School and became the business manager and tax assessor/collector for the district. She also was a bookkeeper for Mansfield ISD.
  • Dorothy Jane Powers Dillehay ('35), Las Vegas, Nev. She was a retired Lewisville High School teacher.
  • Robert Millard Rankin ('35), Weatherford. He was a longtime teacher at McGregor High School. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1942 to 1945 and worked at the U.S. Naval Training Center.
  • Curtis Allen Rogers ('35, '39 M.S.), Wimberley. He was a math teacher at Lamar High School and a professor at the University of Houston. He was also a Navy veteran of World War II.
  • Ethel Railey Waggoner ('35), Kingsville. She taught in Itasca and at schools in Kingsville for 30 years before retiring. She volunteered as a hospital Pink Lady and had been president of the Business and Professional Women's Club in Kingsville.
  • Geneva Bean Franklin ('36), Paris. She graduated from North Texas with a degree in home economics.
  • John M. Smith Jr. ('36), San Antonio. After earning his medical degree, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during World War II, working in a tent hospital above Normandy Beach and receiving casualties in Metz from the Battle of the Bulge. He later set up a private practice in San Antonio and helped establish the South Texas Medical Center there. He was named a UNT Distinguished Alumnus in 1983.
  • John F. Stovall ('37), Fort Worth. He was a retired Fort Worth educator, coach and principal. A running back at North Texas, he was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. He served in World War II as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
  • Perlina I. 'Bell' Towry Sutherland ('37, '42 M.S.), Irving. She taught in Texas towns including Wichita Falls, Chillicothe and Amarillo. She also was a docent for the Amarillo Museum of Art.
  • Tilden Bennett Armstrong ('38), Abilene. He taught school in Swearingen and Sunray before becoming a Methodist minister in 1943. He served churches in northwest Texas and continued as an interim pastor after retiring from full-time service.
  • Minnie Mae Dyess ('38, '52 M.Ed.), Avalon. She taught at Bethel and Howard schools and for 21 years at the Avalon ISD before retiring.
  • Mona Keeter Hildreth ('38), Amarillo. She was a teacher before becoming the assistant home demonstration agent in Lubbock. She later worked as the agent for Randall and Potter counties until retiring in 1979.
  • Delmer Brown ('39), Houston. He coached track at Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas A&M at Commerce before retiring in 1980. While attending UNT, he and his twin brother, Elmer ('38, '49 M.S.), were outstanding sprinters and with the Rideout twins set the world record in the medley relay at Madison Square Garden in 1938.
  • Elmo Joy Wilson Ferguson ('39), Hamlin. She taught home economics in Sweetwater and Hamlin schools. She and her husband acquired the Martin and Y6 Ranches and had a lifelong association with the farming and ranching industry.
  • John Guyer ('39, '47 M.S.), Denton. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor. He taught school in White Deer and Skellytown and for 35 years was a teacher, coach and administrator in the Denton ISD. At North Texas he played football and was a member of the Geezles.
  • Jolly F. Kelsay ('39, '48 M.S.), Dallas. He was a civilian teacher at the Cadet Center in San Antonio during World War II. He taught and coached at Irving High School and was an administrator for the Dallas ISD for more than 30 years.

1940s [ top ]

  • Elry T. 'Mike' Allen Jr. ('40), Whitesboro. He was an administrative assistant for Congressmen Ray Roberts and Ralph Hall and served as mayor of Whitesboro and president of the Grayson County Development Council. He was in the farm implement business for many years.
  • Judson Samuel Custer ('40, '41 M.M.), Georgetown. He retired from Southwestern University after 40 years on the faculty. He was chair of the Department of Education there and held the W.W. Jackson Professorship in Education. He was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II. At North Texas, he played violin in 'Fessor Graham's Aces of Collegeland.
  • Margret Massie Chrisman ('41), Denton. She lived her high school dream of becoming a librarian, working in school libraries in Jefferson, Bowie and Panhandle before retiring from the Denton ISD after 15 years as Denton High School librarian. At North Texas she was a member of the Phoreffs.
  • Loyd W. Conyers ('41, '47 M.A.), Combine. He was a physician who specialized in internal medicine in Dallas for more than 30 years before moving to Veterans Affairs medical centers in Marlin and Bonham. He was a Navy veteran of World War II. He was also a member of UNT's President's Council for many years.
  • James Hollis Jones ('41, '46 M.S.), Krum. He was a physician for more than 40 years and was the UNT athletic team doctor for many years. He served in the U.S. Air Corps' Flying Tigers during World War II and as a physician during the Korean War at Brooks Army Hospital. He also had served as chief of staff for Flow and Lewisville hospitals.
  • Emma Lois Rivoire Thompson ('41), Justin. She was a retired math and business teacher and an accomplished quilter and seamstress. She taught in the Gainesville, Justin, Northwest and Lewisville school districts for more than 30 years.
  • Eulene McLarty ('42), San Antonio. She received a degree in elementary education from North Texas.
  • Arthur Carroll 'A.C.' Sullivan Jr. ('42), Commerce. He was a former agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also was a naval intelligence officer for 27 years, including service during World War II, and was a criminal investigator for the Dallas district attorney's office for 14 years.
  • Effie Dot Shepperd Sumrall ('42), Aurora, Colo. She received her degree in music education from North Texas.
  • Wallace Harper Mann (attended in '43), Grafton, W.Va. He was the principal flutist with the National Symphony for more than 30 years, leaving in 1978 as chair of the woodwind section. He taught flute at American, Catholic, George Washington and Salisbury State universities. During World War II he served as a pilot in the Army Air Forces in Europe.
  • Charles Melvin Mizell Jr. ('43), Dallas. He served in the 30th Infantry Division Artillery in Europe during World War II. He later became an accountant for Lone Star Gas Co., where he worked for 37 years. He was a lifelong railroad enthusiast.
  • Neta Smith Stallings ('45), Denton. She received an accounting degree from North Texas. She retired from First State Bank in Denton.
  • Alvin Bishop ('46, '48 M.S.), Blue Ridge. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He taught at Highland Park High School in Dallas for 28 years and was superintendent of Blue Ridge ISD for 10 years.
  • Mary Jean Ford Grinnell ('47), Dallas. She worked for DeGolyer and MacNaughton, a Dallas-based consultant to the energy industry, for more than 40 years.
  • William K. Doggett ('48), Denton. He served in the U.S. Navy for 27 years and was a retired employee of the Acme Brick Co. in Denton.
  • Bobby Tate Candler ('49), Dallas. He received a degree in physical education and worked for the Jim Ewing Insurance Agency.
  • Melva Loftin Cole ('49), Dallas. She received her degree in general business from North Texas.
  • Robert Young Ellis ('49), Arkadelphia, Ark. He was an associate professor of music at Henderson State University, where he taught for 35 years. At North Texas, he studied organ with Helen Hewitt. In 1950 he gave the first American performance of composer Max Reger's Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme. He was a visiting lecturer at Westminster Choir College, the University of Michigan, the University of Oklahoma and North Texas, and also was a church organist.
  • Bill Gale ('49), Irving. He served in the Naval Air Corps in the Pacific during World War II. He worked as a corrective therapist at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Dallas before retiring.
  • Ruth Reavley Harris ('49, '50 M.M.), Tyler. She served as organist and interim pianist for churches in Orange and Tyler. She began piano lessons at the age of 5 and studied at North Texas under Silvio Scionti.
  • Paul G. Lane ('49), Sherman. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and was involved in many businesses, including farming and ranching, trucking, real estate and construction. He was a founding owner of TLT Construction Co.
  • Esker Gene Powell ('49, '55 M.Ed.), Paris. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and after receiving his degrees taught at several high schools and colleges in New Mexico, Texas and Florida. He was later director of student personnel services and the office of campus life at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
  • Rachel Lu Syler ('49), Galveston. She received her degree in elementary education from North Texas.
  • James Dean Webb ('49), Dallas. He was a principal and a math and science teacher in several public and private schools in Texas.

1950s [ top ]

  • James Allen Bond ('50), Coppell. He owned and operated Bond Equipment Co. Inc. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army.
  • Ernest Vanoy Farmer ('50), Longview. He was assistant superintendent of the Pine Tree ISD, retiring in 1984. While at Pine Tree, he established a volunteer program for students and a scholarship fund. Pine Tree Elementary School planted a tree in his name in 1994.
  • Orvel Francis Hill Sr. ('50 M.Ed.), Abilene. He was a teacher and during World War II worked at the Quarter Master Depot in Fort Worth. He later worked for the Border Patrol in El Paso and Fabens, was superintendent at Sylvester Schools and was principal at the McCaulley ISD.
  • Frank Halbert Madden ('50), Rusk. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He worked at Baker Hughes Mining Tools in Houston, Indiana and South Africa for 37 years and moved back to Rusk in 1988. He was Cherokee County auditor for eight years.
  • Dowell Hailey ('51), Rosebud. He served in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne during World War II. He was a cattle rancher, taught school in Rosebud, operated a grain elevator in Marlin and became president of Production Credit Association in Bryan. He was on the school board for the Rosebud-Lott ISD for 15 years.
  • Rufus Mac Webb ('51 M.A.), Deport. He served in the Army in World War II, stationed in Guam and Hawaii. He taught high school social studies in Deport and Prairieland for 41 years, retiring in 1974, and had a lifelong interest in sports. Over his career he coached tennis, track, baseball and boxing.
  • Betty Lou Boone Arnspiger ('52), Dallas. She was involved with the Rosemont PTA and the Dallas County Medical Auxiliary and volunteered at Methodist Hospital.
  • Joseph Wesley Hart ('52, '60 Ed.D.), Lutz, Fla. He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Alaska. He was appointed JobCorps director of the Atlanta region by President Lyndon B. Johnson and was instrumental in establishing a JobCorps center in McKinney. He retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1988.
  • Gerald Winfield Rushing ('52), Van. He taught at John Tyler High School for 30 years. He was also a rancher and served in the U.S. Navy.
  • Vannie Lee Randolph ('53 M.S.), Midland. She taught school for 37 years in Texas before retiring in 1975. She was named Woman of the Year for 1983 by the Bowie Chamber of Commerce.
  • Jean Snyder Flath ('54), Dallas. She worked for the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., before moving back to Dallas. She was involved with the Camp Fire Girls and Brownies organizations, and was CEO of Frets and Strings, a Dallas guitar and music store.
  • Cecil Flook ('54), Dallas. He served in World War II in the Far East. At North Texas, he was a founding member of Delta Sigma Phi. He was active in politics and spent many years in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, involved at both the local and national levels.
  • Dorothy Hunt McKenzie ('54 M.Ed.), San Angelo. She was a schoolteacher for 32 years, retiring in 1975. She taught for 25 years in the Brady ISD.
  • Jo Anne Morehead Tate ('54), Irving. She received her degree from North Texas in home economics. She was a 44-year resident of Irving and a member of the Irving Women's Club and Turf Turner Garden Club.
  • Lynn R. Jeffcoat ('55), Dallas. He practiced law in Richardson for more than 20 years and was a real estate attorney for American, Dallas and Stewart title companies. He served in the Navy during World War II and in the Air Force and Army during the Korean War. He was a former judge of Allen Municipal Court and former chief of the Richardson Police Reserve.
  • Betty Sue Shelton Sawyer ('55), Hillsboro. She taught elementary school in Fort Worth and Hillsboro and ran Sawyer Farms with her husband. She also owned and operated an antique store in Hillsboro, housed in a historic building she acquired and restored. At North Texas she was a member of Delta Gamma.
  • Guy Hamilton Wheeler Jr. ('55 M.A.), Menard. He had a 39-year career in education, serving as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent in Menard, Silver and Vernon. He was inducted into the Menard School Hall of Fame in 1998.
  • Morton Henry Arledge ('56), Dallas. He served in the U.S. Navy. At North Texas he studied general business, and he later became a computer buff, enjoying keeping in touch with his family and friends through e-mail.
  • Carl D. 'Dick' Dixon ('56 M.S.), Fort Worth. He taught for 35 years in elementary schools in Big Spring, Wichita Falls and Fort Worth. He retired from the Fort Worth ISD in 1985.
  • Jim S. Lake ('56), Dallas. He was an Air Force veteran of the Korean War. After working for IBM, he entered the real estate business purchasing land for Trammell Crow Co. and founded the Jim Lake Co. in 1964. He eventually developed more than 2 million square feet of office and warehouse space in Dallas. As a student at North Texas he was a Kappa Alpha. He served on the UNT Foundation board and was past chair of the UNT President's Council.
  • Kenneth Ray Skinner ('56), Houston. He served in the military as an artillery specialist in the 42nd Rainbow Division in Europe. He worked for Chance Vaught, assembling radio communications gear in B-24 bombers, and also taught in a one-room school in Van Zandt County.
  • William A. 'Dub' Brown ('57), Port Arthur. He worked for several newspapers and was editor of the Port Arthur News before retiring. He was also a member of the Port Arthur City Council.
  • J.E. Leonard ('57 M.S.), Friendswood. He received his degree from North Texas in secondary school supervision.
  • Larry Ray Reed ('57), Freeport. He retired as the guidance counselor for Brazosport High School in 1994 after a long career in education. At North Texas he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity.
  • Jack Madison Smith ('57), Dallas. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and the U.S. Army. He was president of the independent insurance agency Cottingham, Smith and Associates.
  • Lon Wesley Young ('57), Weatherford. He taught junior high science in Abilene before joining the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. He retired as a regional director at the TRC's Fort Worth office.
  • Shirley Jean Jones Catter ('58), Dallas. She worked as an assistant to the women's editor of the Dallas Times Herald. She later compiled a book about the history of the Central Christian Church and left two unpublished works: a memoir and a Civil War novel.
  • Robert 'Bobby' Edward Stroope ('59), Kilgore. In high school, he was the Texas State Junior Golf Team champion, and he attended North Texas on a golf scholarship. He qualified for and played in the U.S. Amateur Open in 1965. After two years of service in the Air Force National Guard, he worked for Lone Star Steel where he was named Salesman of the Year in 1978.

1960s [ top ]

  • W. Beatrice McKenzie ('60), Lewisville. She taught in the Lewisville and Coppell school districts before retiring.
  • Mary Frances Walsh ('60), Dallas. She taught elementary school in Dallas for 46 years and was chosen Teacher of the Year numerous times. One of her 1950s fourth-grade classes from Robert E. Lee Elementary School reunited last year and dedicated a book to the library in her honor.
  • Virginia Capps ('61), McKinney. She received her degree in mathematics from North Texas.
  • Mary Gilbert ('61), Millsap. She received her degree in health education from North Texas.
  • John Wesley Mangum ('62), Abilene. He worked as an internal revenue agent in Lubbock and Abilene, retiring in 1994 after 31 years of service. He was a U.S. Navy veteran.
  • Felder W. Cullum ('63 M.Ed., '65 Ed.D.), Tyler. He was the dean of psychology at Tyler Junior College for 22 years. Before earning his North Texas degrees, he was a pilot in the Army Air Force for 22 years.
  • Elton Bland Carroll ('66), Houston. He taught at Sam Houston High School for 30 years and was voted Teacher of the Year three times.
  • Linda Jayne Wideman Grant-Carey ('66), San Antonio. She was a retired teacher and administrator. Her career spanned more than 30 years, and she taught for 28 years at San Antonio and Round Rock.
  • Billy Duke Fortune ('67, '69 M.B.A.), Cross Plains. He was a professor at Southwestern State University, Northeastern Louisiana University and Texas A&M University. He later was an administrator in the Texas A&M engineering department.
  • Robert James Winnick ('67), Arlington. He was a systems analyst with IBM and worked with computer systems at a number of companies.
  • Thomas George Boras ('68), Mahwah, N.J. He was a composition major and a performer in the One O'Clock Lab Band at North Texas. He became the director of the jazz studies program at New York University and performed with many of the top jazz players and bands in the country.

1970s [ top ]

  • Benjamin Ray Franklin II ('70), Dallas. He was a financial planner with Navigation Financial Group and worked in the financial service and insurance industry for 29 years. He spoke statewide for groups such as Easter Seals and was founder of a respite care ministry for children with special needs.
  • Jerry Layne Cook ('71, '90 M.Ed.), Van. He was a teacher at the Fort Worth ISD and was also an active member of the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society.
  • Norman V. Hollen ('71 M.A.), Taos, N.M. He was a retired Episcopal priest who had served as rector at St. Anne's in Fort Worth and as canon to the bishop in Dallas.
  • Daniel Edwin Neill ('71), Austin. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and earned a Purple Heart during the Vietnam War. He studied banking and finance at North Texas.
  • Thomas G. Cuskey ('72 M.Ed., '74 Ed.D.), Largo, Fla. He was the principal at Nederland High School, a teacher and vice principal at Nimitz High School and superintendent at the Kirbyville and Stafford school districts. He was nationally recognized in 1995 for his work in the Windham school system of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He served in the Army Reserve.
  • Michael E. Anderson ('73), Weatherford. He received his degree in business administration from North Texas.
  • Kenneth Dale Carney ('73), Weatherford. He was an avid outdoorsman, a rancher and a skilled builder, erecting many of the churches in the Weatherford area.
  • Cynthia Ann Hargrave ('73), Houston. She taught school in Dallas before accepting a position with the international appraisal firm of Marshall and Stevens in Houston. She later became a C.P.A. and served as assistant to the controller for the city of Houston and as assistant treasurer for Harris County.
  • Jacob M. Ray Jr. ('73), Texarkana. He was an accountant for Amresco Inc. in Dallas.
  • Ronald L. Miller ('74), Irving. He received his degree in marketing from North Texas.
  • Billy Bob Savage ('79 M.Ed.), Azle. He was a retired naval officer, earning more than two dozen medals, commendations and badges. He taught in the air conditioning and refrigeration department at Tarrant County College for 11 years. He also developed a style of pottery based on American Indian methods of firing. Savage Pottery was well known in galleries throughout the western United States.
  • Scott William Staerkel ('79), Denton. He worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and in the 1980s owned Diamond Dreams baseball card shop. He played guitar and was a singer-songwriter, performing at area venues including the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival. His dream to produce a CD of his music will be realized with the release of Good Wood Live.

1980s [ top ]

  • Karen Sue Faught ('81), Denton. She was a former director of human resources at Texas Woman's University. She received the Senior Professional Human Resources Certification in 1993.
  • David S. Owens ('82), Weatherford. He was a sports enthusiast whose banking career took him to locations throughout the country. He had lived in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Baton Rouge, La.; and Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas and Flower Mound.
  • Julie Anne Wilcox ('82), Elkton, Md. She was a personnel employee at Johns Hopkins Hospital before becoming a district court commissioner in Elkton.
  • David Porter Murphy ('86 M.Ed.), Richland Hills. He was formerly a commercial artist for Tandy Corp. and was a marriage and family therapist with Marge Prefontaine and PSA Counseling Services. He was ordained to the order of Presbyterate for the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth.

1990s [ top ]

  • Hank Ballenger ('91, '93 M.A., '99 Ph.D.), Philadelphia, Pa. He was an assistant professor of English at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.
  • Patricia Kathryn Humphries Mueller ('96 M.S.), Dallas. She was a licensed speech-language pathologist with the Arlington ISD.
  • James Leon Orr Jr. ('96), Little Elm. He studied recreation and leisure studies at UNT and was employed by EDS in Plano.
  • Joell Marie Austin ('97), Denton. She earned her degree in biology from UNT.
  • Lee H. Bridges ('97 M.A.), Dallas. He received his degree in history from UNT and wrote a book titled George McJunkin, the Black Cowboy and His Times.

University Community [ top ]

  • Garland R. Brookshear ('36, '38 M.S.), Denton, retired assistant professor of business administration, 1938-1977. He received his bachelor's degree in business and his master's degree in administrative management from North Texas and did additional graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin. He taught for one year at Whitesboro High School before joining the North Texas faculty.
  • Thomas Shepherd Burkhalter Sr., Richardson, assistant professor of chemistry, 1950-1952. He graduated from Oklahoma University with bachelor's and master's degrees and earned his doctorate in analytical chemistry from Louisiana State University. After teaching at North Texas, he was head of freshman chemistry at Texas A&M University and for 28 years worked as director of central research at Texas Instruments. He also served as a consultant for the National Bureau of Standards and the National Materials Advisory Board.
  • Louis Fred Connell Jr., Denton, Professor Emeritus of physics, 1937-1942 and 1951-1975. He received his bachelor's degree from the Texas College of Arts and Industries in Kingsville and earned his master's and doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He left North Texas to serve in the Navy during World War II and rejoined the faculty as chair of the Department of Physics, a position he held until he returned to full-time teaching in 1969.
  • Walter Delesandri, Denton, art photography lab technician in the School of Visual Arts, 1991-2003. Music and photography were his lifelong interests. He had played guitar with the Silvertones for the past three years, performing regularly in Denton, and had played with Bo Diddley, Texas Slim, Pops Carter, Doyle Bramhall and Doyle Bramhall II, among others.
  • Lee Eldridge Huddleston, Denton, associate professor of history, 1967-2003. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Texas Tech University and his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He had taught at PMC Colleges in Chester, Pa., the University of Arkansas, Colorado State University and Kansas State University. At UNT he taught courses in Latin American history and the ancient Near East and served as an undergraduate adviser in the history department.
  • Gerald Wayne Jackson, Abilene, industrial arts instructor, 1964-1969. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Abilene Christian University and served as a Marine in the Korean War. In addition to teaching at North Texas, he taught at ACU, Christian College of the Southwest and secondary schools in Garland, Azle and Abilene before retiring in 1984.
  • Leslie Howard Palmer, Denton, associate professor of English, 1967-2003. He earned his bachelor's degree from Memphis State University and received master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. At North Texas, he taught the classics, creative writing, sports in literature, and the Great Books course and other classes in the Honors Program. He had won several poetry awards. His works include A Red Sox Flag, Disgraceland and Ode to a Frozen Dog. Two of his books, Frou Frou of Ms. Sedberry and Nine Lives, One Love, were published last year.
  • Gail Smith Rola ('84 M.Ed.), Flower Mound, assistant dean of the School of Community Service and lecturer in rehabilitation, social work and addictions, 1998-2003. She was formerly the dean of student services at Brookhaven College in Dallas. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and her master's in counseling and student services from North Texas and was working on her doctorate in higher education at UNT. She was also a licensed professional counselor with a private practice in marriage and family counseling.
  • Velma Olive Smith Selby, Denton, retired assistant professor of music, 1939-1942 and 1960-1975. She earned a bachelor's degree in music from Texas Christian University and a master's degree from the Teacher's College at Columbia University. She supervised student teachers in the music education department before marrying and moving to California. Returning to Denton after World War II, she taught music at Jefferson Davis Elementary School in Denton before rejoining the North Texas faculty. She and her husband, George D. Selby, recently contributed to UNT's Oral History Collection.
  • Ron Shanklin, DeSoto, former football player and North Texas coach, 1982-1991. Shanklin played for the Mean Green from 1967 to 1969 and holds school records for most receiving touchdowns in a game (three), season (13) and career (31). He ranks second in school history in reception yards with 2,465 and third in receptions with 144. Shanklin, who played six seasons in the National Football League, led the Pittsburgh Steelers in receptions each of his first three seasons (1971-73), earned a Pro Bowl berth and was a member of the Super Bowl IX championship team.
  • Richard Swerdlin, Denton, retired associate professor of teacher education and administration, 1970-1997. He earned his bachelor's degree from the City College of New York and master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati. From 1953 to 1958 he served in the Air Force, doing a tour of duty in Korea. He taught elementary school in Ohio and was a faculty member at Southern Illinois University and the University of Louisville before joining the elementary education faculty at North Texas.

 

 

 

 
   
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