John Virgil Richards (’58, ’59 M.Ed.), 85, Professor Emeritus of engineering technology, died July 28. Richards began teaching in the industrial arts department in 1965. He served as department head for 13 years and helped develop the program as its focus turned to preparing students for careers in industry and its name changed to industrial technology and then to engineering technology. He retired in 1992. Richards was a member of the U.S. Marines, serving as a master sergeant during the Korean War, and later earned his degrees in industrial education from UNT and his doctorate from Texas A&M University. He taught industrial arts in the Fort Worth public schools and owned and operated a residential construction business before joining North Texas, where he taught industrial design and engineering graphics and researched computer-integrated manufacturing education. He spent his retirement years visiting with his children and grandchildren and was an avid supporter of the arts. He also enjoyed restoring and building furniture.

Carolyn Joyce Phillips (’06, ’10 M.S.), 63, died Sept. 10 in Denton. She was a retired administrative specialist in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education. She had worked at UNT for 35 years, first in the 1970s and then continuously from 1989 until retiring in 2010. She served as the main contact for current and prospective students in the department and was widely known for her patience, helpfulness and knowledge of the university. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in studies in aging from UNT and was pursuing a doctorate in applied gerontology. She also earned a graduate academic certificate in 2008 in volunteer and community resource management. A longtime community activist, she helped start the group that became known as the Southeast Denton Neighborhood Association and was dedicated to representing the neighborhood’s concerns.

Carolyn W. Kern, 61, Denton, associate professor of counseling who had worked at UNT since 1991, died Nov. 2. She joined the faculty after serving as a senior clinical counselor at the University Counseling Center at Oklahoma State University and also had worked as a mental health and school counselor. Her areas of expertise included college counseling, coun­selor supervision, adventure-based counseling and resilience, and she had researched suicide prevention with a grant from the U.S. Depart­ment of Health and Human Services. She received numerous distinguished service awards from professional counseling organiza­tions and was the immediate past president of the Texas Counseling Association and a fellow and former board member of the American Counseling Association. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Uni­versity of Kansas, a master’s from Emporia State University and a doctorate from Oklahoma State University. Memorials may be made to support future counseling stu­dents’ scholarships through the Carolyn & Doug Kern Scholarship Fund at UNT.

Michael Norton, Fort Worth :: He studied accounting at UNT in the 1980s and ’90s and was a leader in the Residence Hall Association and Kendall Hall. He worked as a logistics supervisor for Ceva Logistics.

Army Col. Darron L. Wright (’91), Mesquite :: A 26-year Army veteran, he was serving as assistant chief of staff with the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg. He was the author of Iraq Full Circle: From Shock and Awe To the Last Combat Patrol in Baghdad and Beyond, based on his three tours in Iraq. On his third deployment, he served as deputy brigade commander of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. His awards and decorations included the Bronze Star Medal with V device, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Ranger Tab and Senior Parachutist Badge.

Corinne Marie Zimmerly Marquis Freeman (’41, ’59 M.Ed.), 93, died April 14 in DeQueen, Ark. She taught courses in art for elementary teachers, art appreciation, design and perspective drawing in the 1960s and ’70s in what was then the Department of Art, and she served as the sponsor of the Kappa Delta sorority. She was married to Robert L. Marquis Jr. (’30, ’33), son of President Robert L. Marquis Sr., from 1939 until his death in 1990. She also attended TWU and was active in the Denton community as a member of the Ariel Club and bridge and faculty wives clubs. Her hobbies included knitting and fiber arts and she participated in a tap dance class for 20 years. Memorials may be made to the Marquis Memorial Scholarship at UNT.

Nick Hampton Vaughan (’47, ’48 M.S.), 90, Professor Emeritus of mathematics, died May 18 in Sugar Land. As a student at North Texas, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in math, he was an officer in the Mathematics Club, played tennis and was a teaching fellow. He also studied at Purdue and later earned a doctorate at Louisiana State University.He joined the North Texas faculty in 1958 and was named a Professor Emeritus in 2002. He served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II. In the 1950s, he worked as a mathematician at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Plant in Indianapolis studying aircraft fire control systems, as a research associate in aircraft vulnerability studies at Purdue’s Statistical Lab, and as a senior aerophysics engineer in weapons systems evaluation at Convair in Fort Worth.

Cecelia Cunningham Box (’39), Fort Worth :: She sang with the A Cappella Choir, performed in the chorus when Julia Smith’s opera Cynthia Ann Parker premiered on campus and was a member of the Phoreffs. She taught music in public schools in Saint Jo and Sherman, then married and was active in Grapevine for 45 years before moving to Colleyville. She was a member of UNT’s Chilton Society, supporting a music scholarship established in her name.

Charles Thomas ‘Tom’ McIlvain (’46, ’49 M.S.), Carlsbad, N.M. :: He returned to North Texas in the fall of 1945 after 39 missions as a top turret gunner on a B-25 over Italy to earn his degrees in industrial arts education. He worked in the Carlsbad schools for 33 years, retiring as director of vocational education. He also taught engineering drafting at night at New Mexico State at Carlsbad for 25 years. He was married to Martha Hudson (’49).

Joe Gieb Jr. (’48), Midland :: He served in the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy during World War II, then resumed his education and football career at North Texas. He led the team in rushing and scoring in 1946, but a badly broken leg ended his career. He was an officer in the Talons. He worked in the oil and gas industry in Midland for 56 years, first with Magnolia Oil Co. and later as co-founder of Gieb and Whiteside.