Children’s books needed

Carol Simpson, professor of library and information sciences, is at it again. Last summer she helped create a library in the town of Negril in Jamaica. She is now doing the same for the farming and manufacturing town of Chiang Rai in Thailand.

But she needs the help of the UNT community to get English children’s books for the library, which will be created at the Chiang Rai Montessori School. By learning English, many of the children in the area will have a better opportunity to move into trades more lucrative than farming or working in a factory, Simpson says.

She is accepting new or gently used children’s literature or textbooks in English — particularly recent science, history and non-fiction books — until the group leaves in June, but the sooner the books are received, the cheaper it will be for her to ship them to Thailand. Contact Simpson at (940) 565-3776 or csimpson@unt.edu.

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Looking for used band instruments

UNT’s College of Music needs instrument donations in order to continue Start-up the Band, an after-school band program that teaches fifth-graders the basics of music before they begin a formal band program in school. The UNT program serves disadvantaged students in Denton and is operated in conjunction with Denton’s Owsley Youth Center.

Collected instruments are cleaned and repaired by UNT’s music education students before they are distributed to students participating in the program. Any traditional band instrument can be donated and claimed as a charitable donation on tax returns. To donate an instrument, call (940) 565-2930.

Participants receive instruction from UNT music students and Darhyl Ramsey, music professor and Start-up the Band director. In addition to the instruments, the program provides the necessary supplies to participate in the band.

“The idea is to give the kids a fair chance at being long-term members of their school band,” Ramsey says. “We believe all children should have the benefits of music in their lives, and we want to make band accessible to all schoolchildren in Denton.”

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William Winspear honored

	William W. 'Bill' Winspear

UNT’s Murphy Enterprise Center presented its first Murphy Award for a lifetime of achievement in entrepreneurship to William W. “Bill” Winspear at the center’s Nov. 15 Leadership Luncheon in Dallas. The award, which will be presented annually, is named in honor of center founders Ken Murphy (’60) and the late Shirley Murphy (’73). It recognizes outstanding entrepreneurial activity, contributions to the community, character and integrity.

Since moving to Dallas from Canada in 1975, Winspear founded and was president and chief executive officer of Dallas-based Associated Materials Inc., a residential building materials manufacturer. Previously, he was president and CEO of Chaparral Steel. He is best known throughout the Dallas community for his enthusiastic support of the region’s arts, cultural and civic organizations.

He is a member of the board and past president of the Dallas Opera, a member of the executive committee of the Dallas Symphony, and a past president of Allegro Dallas and of the Texas Arts Alliance. He and his wife, Margot, were founding co-chairs of Friends of Channel 13, KERA-TV.

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