To send us information about the deaths of North Texas alumni, fill out and submit the online form, send e-mail to north_texan@unt.edu, fax to (940) 369-8763 or mail to The North Texan; University of North Texas; University Relations, Communications and Marketing; P.O. Box 311070; Denton, Texas 76203-1070.

Click on the names for more information.

1930s [ top ]

• Clora Maud Tunnell Huff ('35), Grand Saline. She taught in rural schools after receiving her teacher's certificate at North Texas. When the Tunnell family was honored at the 1970 Homecoming, it was said to have the largest number of alumni in the history of the university. Two of Clora's sons, John R. Huff Jr. ('70) and Steven Gary Huff ('76), also received degrees from North Texas.
• Wilson Brown ('36), Dallas. He was founder and owner of the Brown Organization and a pioneer in the Dallas homebuilding industry. He was a member of the National Association of Home Builders Housing Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C. At North Texas, he was in the Talons fraternity.
• Ola Marie Fuston ('37), Arlington. She served the Fort Worth ISD for 43 years, teaching most of that time at Arlington Heights Elementary School. She retired in 1978 and became a substitute teacher.
• Ruth Orr Coppock ('39), Roswell, N.M. She taught in Texas and New Mexico schools, including 25 years in Roswell. She earned her degree in elementary education from North Texas.

1940s [ top ]

• Viola Pearl Harpole Arnold ('41), Denton. She was a teacher and coach for more than 30 years in Orange Grove and Spring Hill schools. After retiring, she volunteered with Meals on Wheels and the Denton State School and worked for a home health-care service.
• Stephen Douglas Ferrill ('41, '50 M.Ed.), Temple. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and received a Purple Heart. He began his teaching career at the age of 20 as an elementary teacher and taught mathematics for 12 years at Temple High School. He retired as dean of continuing education and evening school at Temple Junior College after 36 years in education.
• Robert Hal Jackson ('41), Denton. He served in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot during World War II and then finished law school while serving as a representative in the Texas Legislature. He practiced law for 50 years and was known for his colorful style in the courtroom and for having a photographic memory. In 2006, he was inducted into the Denton County Criminal Defense Attorneys Association Hall of Fame.
• Zelma Odle ('42, '49 M.A.), Abilene. She earned her Ph.D. in English at the University of Arkansas in 1960, where she was named Phi Beta Kappa. She served as an English professor at Abilene Christian University from 1954 to 1984, and she was honored as Teacher of the Year in 1964 and Piper Professor in 1973. She was a 1976 recipient of the Texas State Achievement Award from Delta Kappa Gamma, an honors society of women educators.
• Lawrence 'Larry' Zellers ('47), Weatherford. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Teaching with the Fellowship of Christian Reconstruction in Korea in 1950, he was captured and spent three years as a prisoner of war in North Korea. He wrote an account of his experiences and assisted a U.N. commission in identifying sites where hundreds of prisoners had been buried. He served as an Air Force chaplain for almost 20 years.
• Charles Ray Boyd ('49), Decatur. He worked for Commercial Credit Corp. until he retired in 1978. He earned his bachelor's degree from North Texas in industrial arts.
• James Aaron Sargent ('49), Denton. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean War. He fought in four major island battles, including Iwo Jima. He began his 35-year banking career in Abilene and served as a state bank examiner and as president and CEO of banks in Texas and New Mexico.

1950s [ top ]

• Virginia Harris Marks ('53), Monahans. She was an elementary school teacher for 25 years in Wink and Monahans and the mother of three children who became teachers. She was the great-granddaughter of Texas Lt. Governor L.J. Storey. Survivors include her husband of 54 years, Col. Jimmy Marks ('55, '57 M.Ed.).
• Robert J. Caraway ('57), Denton. He practiced law for 25 years in Dallas and was a real estate broker and investor. He successfully appeared before U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice to fight for equal rights in the Wilmer-Hutchins ISD. Bob and his wife, Georgia Kemp Caraway ('95 Ph.D.), received the President's Citation in 1987 from North Texas, and he was a proud Golden Eagle in 2007. An endowed scholarship has been created in his name for students needing financial aid.
• James Coffey ('57), Denton. He worked for many years at the original First State Bank in Denton and in a Haltom City bank as a loan officer. He then was employed by the Texas Department of Transportation until he retired in 1994. Survivors include his wife, Leanne Boyd Coffey ('01), administrative assistant in the School of Library and Information Sciences.
• Horace Jean Trietsch ('57, '63 M.Ed.), Denton. Earning his degrees in industrial arts education, he taught at Denton Junior High School from 1957 to 1964 and at Lewisville High School from 1964 to 1990. He also taught at North Central Texas College. He was a certified lay speaker for the Methodist church.

1960s [ top ]

• Gwen Lyn Lareau ('60), Commerce. She was a piano teacher in the Hunt County area and supported many musical and arts organizations. She served many years in administration at Texas A&M at Commerce, completing her Ph.D. there while working full time and raising her son. At North Texas, she was president of Mortar Board and Mu Phi Epsilon.
• John Dean Vaughan ('63, '66 M.Ed.), Marshall. He was an English professor at East Texas Baptist University for more than 30 years, retiring in 2002. He also taught in the Dallas ISD and at Tarleton State University and Baylor University. He was president of the Texas Poetry Society for several years. Survivors include his brother, Tommy Lee Vaughan ('67).
• Ellen Eugenia Carnes ('64 M.Ed.), Dallas. She was a longtime teacher and administrator in the Dallas ISD and an active supporter of Hispanic causes. In the 1940s, one of her grade school students in Marshall was journalist Bill Moyers, who later attended North Texas.
• Ray Morgan Carter ('64, '66 M.B.A.), Mexia. He was a Vietnam veteran who served with the 525th Military Intelligence Group during the Tet offensive and received the Army Commendation Medal. He later worked for the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. After moving to Mexia, he opened several fabric stores. At North Texas, he was a student senator and a member of Phi Kappa Sigma.
• Thomas Wayne Stanford Jr. ('64), Dallas. He was an associate professor and director of undergraduate periodontics at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry. He joined the faculty there after a 25-year career in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. In 2005, he received the Award for Outstanding Teaching in Periodontics from the American Academy of Periodontology.
• Oscar E. Miller Jr., Fort Worth. "SlowMill" was the first African American basketball player at North Texas, playing guard on the freshman team in the 1959-60 season and playing varsity through the 1962-63 season. He played semi-pro basketball in Pennsylvania before returning to Fort Worth, where he owned Miller's Boutique and later became a deputy sheriff and Tarrant County constable.
• Ann Sandifer ('65), Fabens. She was an elementary school teacher in the Fabens ISD for more than 40 years and had been honored as the district teacher of the year.
• Tony W. Fillman ('69 Ed.D.), Sherman. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946 as a pharmacist's mate second class, receiving several medals. He taught mathematics and physics in schools in Oklahoma and Texas and was a principal at several schools, including Sherman High School. He later became the business administrator for the Sherman ISD, retiring in 1989.

1970s [ top ]

• Polly Madsen Kraycirik ('70), Danevang. She was a fashion designer for 10 years, designing girls' sleepwear for Isaacson-Carrico Manufacturing in El Campo and ladies' intimate apparel for Henson-Kickernick in Greenville. Her practice of collecting rocks to remember beautiful places led her friends to sell cards containing "a pebble for Polly" in support of El Campo's Relay for Life event.
• Ima Gene Pair Carroll ('71 M.S.), Arlington. She was an elementary school teacher and counselor who taught at Arlington and Shamrock schools. She designed jewelry and was a gemologist, an investment strategist and a real estate broker.
• James B. Trent ('76), Oceanside, Ore. He earned his degree in English from North Texas.

1980s [ top ]

• Mark Wolfe ('80, '85 M.M.), Argyle. He was the tuba professor at the University of Texas at Tyler and principal tubist of the Shreveport and Longview orchestras. He performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and in brass quintets, and he coached tuba players in area schools. Survivors include his wife, Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe ('83, '02 M.J.).
• Tony Elliott, Bridgeport, Conn. He was a junior college transfer who played defensive tackle for North Texas in the 1980 and 1981 seasons. He was drafted in the fifth round by the New Orleans Saints in 1982 and played with the team until 1988. Paralyzed since a shooting in 2000 and overcoming much adversity in his life, he spoke out against drugs and was a popular motivational speaker.
• Randy Bowley ('82, '87 M.S.), Arlington. He was the librarian at St. George's School in Spokane, Wash., and had been a Peace Corps teacher in the Czech Republic and head librarian at the American Community School in Beirut. He earned three master's degrees, including his master's in interdisciplinary studies at North Texas.
• Julie Ellen H. Davis ('82), Norman, Okla. She taught at private schools for many years after earning her education degree from North Texas.
• Sarah Tracey 'Sally' Hoffecker ('85), Houston. She served as a teacher and tutor of math at several private high schools. She sang with the Houston Symphony Chorus and other professional groups and directed the BP Chorus during the Christmas season.
• Kathryn Kassel Whipple ('85), Dallas. She was a member of Alpha Phi sorority at North Texas. She graduated from St. Mary's University law school in 1988 and practiced law in Dallas for 18 years.
• Alan Lee Campbell ('86 Ph.D.), Denton. He was a professor of cell biology at Parker College of Chiropractic. He enjoyed walking in the woods and studying pond scum and fungi, birds and all creatures.
• Catherine Ann Sellers Traylor ('86), Saint Jo. She taught kindergarten in the Forestburg ISD and was a substitute teacher in Muenster. Her late husband's career in the oil services business had taken them to Iran, Singapore and her favorite place, Aberdeen, Scotland, where they lived for 10 years.

1990s [ top ]

• Jeff 'Ffroe' Roe ('95), Garland. He was an accomplished trombone player, record producer and band manager. He played in Beef Jerky, Function Junction, Decibel and 2BC and started Ffroe Records in 1995, a label that included Bowling for Soup, Space Cadet, Valve, The Feds and many others. Friends gathered for a memorial service at Clark Hall and a memorial concert in Dallas in March.

University Community [ top ]

• Kendall P. Cochran, Dallas, Professor Emeritus of economics, 1957-1989. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945, then earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate from Ohio State University. At North Texas, he helped develop the economics program into a formal department and served as its chair. In his research and teaching, he focused on the importance of incorporating ethics and social values in economic analysis. He received the 'Fessor Graham Award in 1968 and the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1978.
• Walter P. Deed, Southlake, chief video engineer in the Department of Radio, Television and Film, 2000-2007. He was a media services specialist in the department before becoming chief video engineer. It was his wish to start a scholarship fund for students interested in television engineering. Memorials, made payable to the UNT Foundation, may be made to the Walter P. Deed Scholarship Fund, Division of Advancement, P.O. Box 311250, Denton, Texas 76203-1250. For more information, call (940) 369-6520 or e-mail boaz@unt.edu.
• George P. Robb, Denton, Professor Emeritus of education, 1967-1989. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a flight engineer in World War II before earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from Ball State and his doctorate from Indiana University. Robb served as chair of counselor education and was a licensed psychologist and counselor in Texas. Memorials in his name, made payable to the UNT Foundation, may be sent to the UNT Division of Advancement, P.O. Box 311250, Denton, Texas 76203-1250. For more information, call (940) 369-7805 or e-mail mbethea@unt.edu.
• B. Price Truitt ('41, '42 M.S.), Denton, Professor Emeritus of chemistry, 1945-1977. As a student at North Texas, he ran track and played football and was twice named "Who's Who" in chemistry. He earned his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He published extensively in the fields of organic and pharmaceutical chemistry and mentored many graduate students, including his daughters, Sharon Truitt ('66, '68 M.S.) and Linda Truitt Creagh ('62, '64 M.S., '67 Ph.D.), the chemistry department's first Ph.D. student. Survivors also include his wife, Elaine Boyd Truitt ('42). Memorials, made payable to the UNT Foundation, may be sent to the J.L. Carrico Scholarship Fund, UNT Division of Advancement, P.O. Box 311250, Denton, Texas 76203-1250. For more information, call (940) 565-3515 or e-mail norwood@unt.edu.
• Benjamin Dwain Vance, Denton, Professor Emeritus of biology, 1963-1995. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, he earned his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Missouri. At North Texas, he taught plant sciences and researched the physiology of plants and algae with grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among other organizations. Memorials, made payable to the UNT Foundation, may be made to the B. Dwain Vance Scholarship for Science Teachers, UNT Division of Advancement, P.O. Box 311250, Denton, Texas 76203-1250. For more information, call (940) 369-7805 or e-mail mbethea@unt.edu.
• Russell Ware, Denton, teacher of Bible, 1963-1983. "Doc," as he was known by students, earned a bachelor of arts degree from Baylor and bachelor of divinity and doctor of theology degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. An ordained Baptist minister, he was the pastor at churches in Texas and New Mexico and worked in the denomination in Texas and California. He wrote numerous books, including textbooks for the courses he taught. After retiring, he focused on studying the Bible in its original languages, writing and volunteering at churches. A nonprofit organization, Ware Christian Ministries, is dedicated to continuing his ministries and those of his late wife.