Information about the deaths of the following alumni was received in the Office of Development and compiled by Susan Apple. Please send information to University of North Texas, Alumni Records, P.O. Box 311250, Denton, Texas 76203-1250, send e-mail to amayer@unt.edu or fill out the online form.

Click on the names for more information.

1920s [ top ]

• Bernice Gordon Noah (’28), Denton. A realtor for more than 20 years, she was the co-founder and first president of the Denton Real Estate Board. She was the wife of long-time UNT track coach “Pop” Noah.

1930s [ top ]

• Robert Gilbert Myers (’35), Austin. He was an executive with the Boy Scouts of America.
• Edward B. Harris Jr. (’36), Graham. He was the former owner and publisher of the Graham Leader newspaper.
• Hyman Laufer (’36 M.S.), Dallas. He was a science teacher in Gladewater and Kilgore high schools for more than 40 years and head of the science department at Kilgore Junior College.
• Frances A. Hardisty (’37, ’40 M.S.), Bedford. She joined the Women’s Army Corps during Wold War II and served as a captain in New Guinea and the Philippines. She was director of recreational therapy at the V.A. Hospital in Waco from 1946 until her retirement in 1974.
• Maggie Sommerville (’37), Denison. She taught at several Texas high schools and, after retiring from Denison High, went on to teach English at Grayson County Junior College.
• Mary Jane Harrison (’38), Pittsburg. She was a teacher for more than 40 years, retiring from the Pittsburg ISD in 1969.
• Truett F. Holland (’38), Breckenridge. He taught in the Woodson school system before moving to Breckenridge, where he served as a teacher, junior high principal and coach until retiring in 1982.
• Rubia Opal Clement (’39), Dallas. She taught English at North Dallas and Jefferson high schools, then retired early and opened her own business, teaching adults English and speech.
• Kate Adair Hopkins Waters (’39 M.S.), Memphis. She taught school for 37 years, beginning in Eldridge and retiring from the Corpus Christi ISD.
  

1940s [ top ]

• James Roy Irvin (’40), Midlothian. His career in public education spanned 40 years. He retired in 1973 from Midlothian High School, where he had served as principal for almost 30 years.
• Otis Annell Pederson (’40), Granbury. He retired in 1976 after 38 years of service in public schools, including 18 years in Arlington where he served as principal, curriculum director and administrative assistant to the superintendent.
• Ralph R. Buie (’41), Tyler. He majored in biology at North Texas and became a physician.
• Joy Belle McKinnon (’41), Iowa Park. She was a 60-year resident of Iowa Park, where she was a school teacher until her retirement in 1982.
• Jess Edith Self (’41 M.S.), Denton. She taught art in high schools in Farmersville and Lewisville for a number of years. Her paintings and drawings were in numerous exhibitions.
• Rubye Yant (’41), Honey Grove. She taught school for 37 years, most of those as a first-grade teacher in Dial, Dallas, Amarillo and Hallettsville. She taught piano lessons for many years.
• George Lumpkin Sr. (’42, ’51 M.S.), Marlin. He taught school in Marlin from 1948 until his retirement in 1965. He was the middle school principal for many of those years.
• Nell Ewing Edge (’43), Little Rock, Ark. She was a home economics teacher and a retired chemist for Exxon Corp.
• Thomas Watson Kemper (’44), Marshall. He was a longtime Marshall physician, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. During 40 years of service, he delivered more than 5,000 babies.
• B.E. Bill McKithan (’47), Gatesville. He was a valuation engineer for six years with Missouri Pacific Railroad and for 26 years with Southern Pacific Railroad, until his retirement in 1979.
• Carl P. Dry (’48), Fort Worth. He taught school in Fort Worth. In 1996, on his 80th birthday, he received a key to the city from a city council member who was a former student.
• Byron Winston Dickie (’49), Irving. He was a retired accountant.
• B. Frank Jameson (’49), Denton. He was a member of the Million Dollar Round Table for several years as he served the Businessmen’s Assurance Co.
• V.G. Marshall (’48, ’49 M.S.), Arlington. He retired from the Hartford Insurance Co. to pursue his passion for gardening. He was a Master Gardener and an international bromeliad show judge.
• Corbin D. ‘Ben’ McPherson (’49), Dallas. Serving in the Air Force in World War II, he was listed as missing in action after being shot down and escaped after a 900-mile journey through Yugoslavia. He retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone after 34 years of service.
• Douglas Reed Myers (’49, ’53 M.Ed.), Munday. A former football coach and school principal, he became a superintendent at the age of 27, serving in Weinert and Munday before retiring in 1982.
• Lloyd G. Shipley (’49), Arlington. An engineer, he worked as a specialist in antennas, propagation and radar for the former LTV Corp. for 36 years prior to retiring in 1992.
• E. Bruce ‘Whip’ Wilson (’49), Graham. Since 1959, he had owned an insurance agency in Graham.
• Thomas Blanton Woody (’49), Pensacola, Fla. During World War II, he was captured by the Japanese and held as a prisoner for 43 months. He was a certified safety professional.

1950s [ top ]

• Gerald D. Tinsley (’50), Houston. He majored in accounting at North Texas.
• Philora Love (’51), Crawford. She taught second-grade for 37 years in the Valley Mills School District.
• Earle Blackwell Young (’51, ’56 M.A.), Galveston. He attended North Texas on a track scholarship and served as president of the student body and president of Lambda Chi Alpha. He was a budget official at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston until his retirement in 1988.
• Mary Joan Johnson Mussina (’53), Dallas. Her entire career was spent with the Dallas ISD, beginning in 1952 as a teacher and later as a counselor, until her retirement in 1988.
• Helen Bissaillon (’54), Duncanville. At 43, she decided to pursue a career as an attorney. She practiced family law in Duncanville and became a municipal judge, serving the city of Glenn Heights.
• Nick A. Kanakis (’54), Plano. He majored in health education at North Texas.
• Virginia Alice Cochran (’57), Denton. She taught elementary school in Denton until her retirement.
• Laura Eloise Savell (’58), Houston. Her degree from North Texas was in health education.
• Henry Brahinsky (’59), Dallas. He was a professional violinist, formerly with the Dallas Symphony. He also served as public school orchestra director for the Dallas ISD.

1960s [ top ]

• Gary Atwood (’60, ’70 M.Ed.), Dallas. An award-winning teacher, he taught science at Bryan Adams High School for 10 years, then became head of the science cluster at Skyline from 1971 until retiring in 1994.
• Rankin Bryan Bickley (’60), Dallas. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 40 years. He was a musician and a member of the Silver Serenaders of Texas, a singing group.
• Rosa May Henson Beckham (’63 Ed.D.), Fort Worth. She was an elementary school curriculum consultant, principal and teacher coordinator, and school coordinator for the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.
• Joe D. Slack (’63 M.S.), Archer City. In addition to being recognized as a Master Teacher by the Wichita Falls ISD, he owned and operated a ranch in Jack County.
• Clyde Haynes Brown Hastings (’65, ’69 M.Ed.), Arlington. She was a teacher in the Mansfield and Walnut Bend-Rad Ware school districts, near Gainesville.
• George Thomas ‘Tom’ Kelly (’65 M.Ed., ’77 Ed.D.), Dallas. He began his career as a math teacher and coach, later serving as assistant principal for Hillcrest High School, then as principal for Thomas Jefferson High School.
• James ‘Blackie’ Wade (’65), Quanah. He coached football, track and basketball for 25 years, leading Jacksboro to a state football championship in 1971. Most recently, he taught at Quanah High School.
• David Wagnon (’65 M.Ed.), Dallas. He was a former principal of Hockaday Upper School and most recently worked at the Ursuline Academy.
• Mary Sandra Sparkman Alexander (’66, ’77 M.Ed.), Irving. She had retired from the Dallas ISD as an elementary physical education teacher.
• Milette Deupree McGowen (’66), Kilgore. She earned her degree from North Texas in elementary education.
  
• William B. Russell (’68), Spokane, Wash. He studied secondary education at North Texas.
• Henry Clay Lewis (’69), Dallas. He was a Dallas ISD employee for 35 years. He also served as pastor in the Cypress District Association.
• Lawrence Ray Clayton (’69 M.A.), Abilene. He was the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Hardin-Simmons University.

1970s [ top ]

• Anne Ball (’70), New York City. She was vice president of international merchandising for Saks Fifth Avenue. Prior to that, she was president of the Anne Klein Collection and had an 18-year career with Neiman Marcus.
• MacGregor Wood Day (’70), Dallas. He was the executive vice president and CEO of Parkland Health and Hospital System. He was a former Marine.
• Sandra Hamilton Proctor (’70), Granbury. She taught school at Burleson ISD for 21 years.
• David Michael Reeves (’70), Mesquite. He was the vice president of finance at the Child Care Group and assistant director of general services at Southwestern Medical Center.
• Sondra J. ‘Sandy’ Jensen Doty (’71), Richardson. She taught in public schools in the Houston area and in the Richardson ISD and was on the staff of RISD’s Enterprise City program.
• Allen R. McFall (’71), Midland. He studied political science at North Texas, going on to earn a law degree.
• Hardie Moran Lockett (’74 M.Ed.), Dallas. He was the principal at Sarah Zumwalt Middle School for 13 years, until he retired in 1993. In retirement, he worked to help students earn GED certificates.
• Jacqueline Lee Schenck (’74), El Cajon, Calif. She majored in library science at North Texas.
• Margaret Ann Biggerstaff (’75 M.B.E.), Johnson City. She was a high school and community college teacher in business, computers and English.
• Jennifer Jarrell Brantley (’76), Irving. She was a sales consultant for the Worth Collection as well as a sales representative for Nikken Inc.
• Geriselda Fancher Balboa (’77, ’87 M.Ed.), Dallas. She was with the Dallas ISD for 25 years, most recently teaching at W.T. White High School.
• Lawrence Glenn Roark (’78), Austin. He received his degree in music education.
  

1980s [ top ]

• Phyllis Ramirez Koenig (’80 M.Ed.), Garland. She was an elementary school teacher. She was also a soccer mom and coach for Garland Soccer Association.
  
• Roger L. Blythe (’81), Fort Worth. He majored in art at North Texas.
  
• Gloria Hawkins Peterson (’84), Dallas. She majored in early childhood education and worked for many years in Dallas’ inner city public schools.
  
• John Leslie Holt (’85, ’86, ’90 M.Ed.), Fort Worth. He received bachelor’s degrees in jazz studies and music education. He taught private saxophone and special education and played professionally in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
  
• Deborah Marie Cole (’88, ’88 M.S.), Plano. She was a CPA and was employed by Travis Wolff.

1990s [ top ]

• Mabel Peters Caruth (’92 honorary), Dallas. Widow of philanthropist W.W. Caruth Jr., she was the reigning matriarch of the family that helped shape Dallas’ history.
  
• Benjamin Jefferis (’96), Arlington. He worked for Radio Shack Technology Services as a computer programmer.
  
• H. Russell Allen (’97), Rowlett. He worked as an accountant for Lennar Homes in Dallas before moving to Rowlett.

2000s [ top ]

• Walter Presley (’00), Flower Mound. He studied art at North Texas.

University Community [ top ]

• Charles M. Clarke, Shawnee, Okla., Professor Emeritus of education, 1955-1980. Clarke came to North Texas as a professor of education and director of teacher education and also directed the North Texas Lab School and the university's student teaching program. He taught full time in the secondary education division from 1975 until his retirement. He was also interested in the performing arts. He and his late wife, Margaret, were contributing members of the Denton Community Theater, the Denton Light Opera Company, the Denton Civic Ballet and the Denton Community Band, in which he played an antique tuba.
• Mark S. Moore, Corinth, vice president for development, 1996-2001. As the chief fund raiser at UNT, Moore led his development team to achieve the highest level of giving in the university's history, exceeding $11 million last year. In July 2000, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education bestowed a Circle of Excellence in Educational Fund-Raising Award on the university for significant program growth. Moore was known as a music lover, a recipe sharer, a bargain shopper, an impeccable dresser, an avid golfer and a vacation traveler. Before joining UNT, he spent 17 years at the foundation of his alma mater, Kansas State University. A scholarship in his memory has been established at the UNT Foundation.
• L. Fred Thomas, Denton, professor of technology and cognition, 1963-2001. At UNT, he had served as president of the Faculty Senate and chair of the education department. At the time of his death, he was the coordinator of the educational research program. Thomas was a member of several professional associations, including Phi Delta Kappa, which he had served as chapter president, chapter delegate and area coordinator. The L. Fred Thomas Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to graduate students who are public school teachers, providing assistance to those who want to further their education and remain in the teaching profession.