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.

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1930s [ top ]

• Beulah Anna Ellis Jameson Dane (’34), Denton. She worked in the Denton Post Office and was an officer of Denton Federal Savings and Loan. At North Texas she earned her business degree and finished off her professional career in the purchasing department.
• Artie Lee Jeanes (’34, ’39 M.Ed.), Dallas. She moved to Dallas in 1935 and began a 41-year career as a physical education teacher in Dallas elementary schools. She collected antiques, matchbooks and other items. She was the subject of a 1993 Dallas Morning News story about her love of flowers.
• Ellene Lowe Johnson (’34, ’37 M.S.), Texarkana. She began her 44-year teaching career in Jean and taught in Atlanta before returning to Texarkana, where she taught elementary, junior high and high school. She was a world traveler who visited nearly every country, collecting memorabilia at each location. Friends called her an institution in Texarkana, where she was a member of countless clubs and organizations.
• Terrell Stansell (’34), Port Arthur. He taught history for more than 40 years at Thomas Jefferson High School in the Port Arthur ISD.
• Edith Udelle Ferguson Woodall, Waco. She attended North Texas from 1932 to 1934 and was a teacher and junior high counselor. She and her late husband, Earle S. Woodall (’34), both served in Texas schools for many decades.
• Joe E. Rogers (’39), Bay City. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. He taught and coached for more than 30 years in Bay City, where he supervised the construction of the first track for the high school and was one of 30 initial inductees of the Black Cat Hall of Fame. He attended North Texas on a football scholarship.

1940s [ top ]

• Jack F. Schmitz Jr. (’41), Denton. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps for six years as the first draftee from Denton County for World War II. He was a funeral director with Jack Schmitz and Son Funeral Home, and later owned and operated the Unpainted Furniture Store.
• Virginia Lee Giddens Brenholtz (’43), Denton. She earned her degree in business education from North Texas.
• Marie Austin Haralson (’44), Houston. Her husband’s chemical engineering career took them everywhere from Saudi Arabia and West Texas to Japan and California. She was a volunteer for many civic and charitable organizations.
• Gladis Dawson Jenkins (’44), Frisco. She retired after 44 years of service with the General Electric Co.
• Nell Bryant Robinson (’45), Fort Worth. She taught at TCU from 1957 to 1992, serving in the home economics and nutrition and dietetics departments. In 1990 the American Dietetic Association gave her its highest honor, the Medallion Award.
• Margaret Rogers Curry (’46), Lone Tree, Colo. She earned a general business degree from North Texas. She had lived in Colorado since 1975.
• Arthur Lee Denton Jr. (’46), Cleburne. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He flew “The Hump” over the Himalayas and was in the first plane to land in Tokyo following the surrender of Japan. He was a pilot for Braniff Airlines for 32 years, retiring in 1980.
• Eber R. Bartee (’49), Denton. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He retired from Lone Star Gas Co. as a senior accountant in 1986.
• Robert Edwin Hodge (’49), Bonham. He served in the U.S. Navy as a communications expert during World War II. After graduating from North Texas, he began a tax accounting business and later ran the Hildinger and Hodge Catfish Farm with his father-in-law, pioneering the fish farming industry in the area. He also served on the Bonham school board.

1950s [ top ]

• Jack V. Collins (’50), Monroe, La. He retired from what is now the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1985, after serving as dean of men and director of student teaching. He was the Kappa Alpha faculty adviser for 20 years at the university. At North Texas he was a member of the Talons.
• Toinette Futrell Kidd (’50), Weatherford. “Toni” taught in the Fort Worth ISD for 15 years. She was active in several women’s organizations and enjoyed traveling.
• Waymon H. Mulkey (’50), Lubbock. He served in the U.S. Navy as a radio operator. He taught in Mississippi before moving to Lubbock, where he sold real estate and was a purchasing director for the Lubbock ISD. He retired in 1986.
• Donald Dean Edwards (’52, ’55 M.Ed.), Gatesville. He was on the North Texas track team from 1949 to 1952. After moving with his family to South America, he worked as a teacher and administrator in private schools in Colombia and Peru from 1958 to 1965. Upon returning to the United States, he continued his career in public school education as a teacher in Seguin and a principal in Gatesville. He retired in 1993 after 42 years in education. Survivors include his wife, Talou Balch Edwards (’52, ’56 M.Ed.).
• Carolyn Leigh Harris Heizer (’53), Dallas. She worked as a librarian at SMU from 1953 to 1960 and again from 1977 to 1998. She enjoyed giving book reviews and working on book conservation.
• Sarah A. Parks (’53), Victoria. She taught elementary school in Edcouch-Elsa for two years before moving to Victoria, where she taught special education for 38 years before her retirement.
• Jack R. Shirley (’53), Coppell. He served in the U.S. Air Force and continued his love of flying as an airline pilot. He is remembered for his successful 1973 landing of a Braniff Airlines Boeing 727 at Dulles International Airport after its tire exploded in mid-air, damaging the wing and half of the landing gear. He received several awards for saving the 75 passengers, his crew members and the plane. He was also a wedding photographer and leader of a 13-piece band. At North Texas he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and was a cheerleader for two years. His grandson, Austin Shirley, is a current cheerleader.
• Oneita Faye Hedgecock (’54), Dallas. She was one of the first female anesthesiologists on the Baylor University Medical Center staff, where she practiced for 32 years. She was also a runner who completed 17 marathon races, including the New York City and Boston marathons. She took up race walking and was a board member of the Tracy Jo Wilson Ovarian Cancer Foundation.
• Paul Dwayne Patterson (’55, ’65 M.Ed.) He served as a navigator in the U.S. Air Force. His career as an educator spanned almost 50 years, including 26 years as a teacher, counselor, coach and principal in Clay County schools. He received the Outstanding Alumnus Service Award from UNT in 1995 and served on the alumni association board of directors. While a student, he lettered four years in track and set numerous school and meet records. He was a member of the Geezles and the Blue Key Honor Society and served as president of the Letterman’s T-Club, as captain of the track team and as an Air Force ROTC officer. He was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
• C. Allen Hays (’56), San Antonio. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years, earning the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart. He continued a second career as director of development at Boysville Children’s Home. At North Texas he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.
• Frank Preston Lively (’56), Dallas. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was a salesman in the cosmetics industry for more than 50 years and was remembered by friends as a hard worker who always had time for fun.
• Jackie Dean Baker (’57), Denton. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years in San Antonio. While at North Texas, he began working for florists in Dallas and Denton, and in 1961 he opened his own shop, Jack Baker Flowers Inc. He retired in 1999 after a career that included making the presentation bouquet for Jackie Kennedy on the day of the president’s assassination, designing a flower boa prop for Marlene Dietrich and arranging flowers for Greer Garson’s Dallas apartment.
• William C. Bills Jr. (’57), Plano. He served in the U.S. Army during the Cold War. He retired from Texas Instruments in 1999 after 37 years of service.
• Patricia Brust Deal (’57), Dallas. She taught music and art at schools in the Dallas ISD and also taught first grade at Eilsen Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska. She helped her husband with his real estate development company and was active in civic and charitable organizations. At North Texas she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.
• Thomas Henry Harris (’57), Saint Jo. He served in the U.S. Army for six years, and worked for Midcontinent Supply for 25 years, Rockwell International for six years and Borden Chemical for five years. He retired in 1995 but continued working as a farmer and school bus driver.
• Bill Moore (’57, ’71 M.B.A.), Weatherford. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He was a longtime employee of the General Services Administration, working as a systems analyst. He was an avid square dancer.
• Shirley Minton Sherburn (’58), Tulsa, Okla. “Agnes” owned and operated Snappy Fox Ltd. in Tulsa for 12 years. She was a voracious reader and lover of words and grammar. At North Texas she was president of the Delta Gamma sorority.

1960s [ top ]

• Archie Baker (’60, ’63 M.B.A.), Fort Worth. “Buck” served in the U.S. Army and was a veteran of the Korean War. After retiring from LTV and Lockheed, he enjoyed traveling, fishing and playing dominoes.
• Norma Faye Jones Frazier (’60), Tyler. She taught music in the Dallas ISD before moving to Tyler, where she and her husband owned Medical Center Opticians. She was an ophthalmic fields specialist. At North Texas she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority.
• Mary Edith Halbert Nix (’61 M.S.), Granbury. She taught school for 39 years in Hood County, including 33 years in Tolar schools. She and her husband traveled to almost every state, spending many summers camping and fishing in Colorado and Wyoming.
• Carroll Lee Eggleston (’62, ’73 M.S.), Odessa. He was a teacher and coach at schools in Knox City, Frisco, Bridgeport, Anton, Sanderson and Wink. He was also a sports writer for the Wink Bulletin for several years.
• Roy Robert Fell (’62, ’67 M.Ed.), Hurst. He served in the U.S. Army. After graduating from North Texas, he worked for 35 years as a counselor and educator with Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD.
• Joe Lute Angell (’63), North Richland Hills. He was a teacher, coach and administrator in the Birdville ISD, retiring as principal of North Oaks Junior High School. He was an all-state lineman when he played football at Birdville High School.
• Hazel Lee Bitters Tanner (’63), Duncanville. She taught in Gibson City, Ill., and at several schools in Duncanville, including a private school she helped start for the children of Nike Base employees. She taught children too young for public school and later taught first grade for many years.
• Sterling Lee Smith (’63), Denton. He had been a professor of biology at Texas Woman’s University since 1977 and was the current vice president of the Texas Council of Faculty Senates. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America for more than 40 years and was a new Denton school board member. At North Texas he played in the university band and was a teaching assistant in biology. He was pursuing his goal of climbing Colorado mountains that are 14,000 feet or higher when he died in a fall near Aspen.
• Tempe Kay Shumaker Dunn (’64), Weatherford. She was the youngest soprano lead for the Houston Civic Opera Co. and also studied opera and performed in New York. She attended North Texas on a full voice scholarship under Met star Eugene Connelly.
• Tom Beasley (’65 M.Ed., ’81 Ed.D.), Whitesboro. He coached the University of Texas at Arlington’s first baseball team and taught physical education there. After earning his doctorate, he worked for the Kinro window manufacturing company for nearly 24 years, serving as vice president of marketing until he retired in 2004. He also raised cattle on his ranch in Gainesville.
• Mike O’Daniel, Waxahachie. He attended North Texas from 1965 to 1966 and later reported being influenced by its jazz and swing. He was a popular musician and country music radio station disc jockey for KBEC 1390 AM. He also worked as a casting director for motion pictures filmed in Texas.
• Beverly Fischer Stanfield (’65), Dallas. She graduated from North Texas with a degree in biology and chemistry and was a lifetime member of the American Society for Clinical Pathology. Survivors include her husband, Nick Stanfield (’63).
• Gregory R. Hehn (’68), DeSoto. He earned his marketing degree from North Texas and worked for 16 years at Sears, Roebuck and Co. He retired in 1998. In 2003 he joined the Dallas Amputee Network after he lost his right leg due to complications from diabetes.
• Lois Mae Wollan (’69), Richardson. She was director of the Richardson Chorale Club during the 1960s, choir director at St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church and owner and director of Cardinal Preschool.

1970s [ top ]

• The Rev. Roy E. Allen (’71 M.Ed.), Toledo, Ohio. He was a teacher, coach and administrator at schools in Dallas and Toledo, Ohio, from the early 1970s until he retired in 2005. He was pastor of Family Church Without Walls for 11 years.
• John Thomas Ousey III (’71), McKinney. “Jay” served in the U.S. Navy. He was a retired realtor who lived in the Dallas area for 35 years. He enjoyed wood carving and gardening.
• Duane Tyler DeMello (’72, ’84 M.S.), Tallahassee, Fla. He served in the U.S. Air Force and later worked for the Weekly Livestock Reporter, the Bill Sandy Corp. and Tenneco Inc. He was owner of Business Publication Service and the Cameron Sun. He won numerous awards for his writing.
• James Warren Althaus (’73), The Colony. He worked for newspapers and as a teacher before creating a commercial photography studio. He was an American Red Cross instructor for more than 20 years and the longest continuing member of a board of directors for The Colony, representing the city library for more than 24 years. He was placed in the city’s Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements in 2004. He also was involved in community theater and played the “villain” in annual Sail Fair shows.
• Charles Don Palmore (’73), The Woodlands. He served in the U.S. Air Force. At North Texas he earned his bachelor’s degree in history.
• Fredna Pearl Sturch (’73), North Richland Hills. She taught in the Birdville ISD for 23 years. At North Texas she studied German and later taught the course at Haltom High School and started a German Club. She organized summer trips to Europe for her students.
• Janice Bowman Spurgin (’74), Denton. She was the owner of the Garden Gate store in Denton and a member of the Denton Chamber of Commerce and the Denton Main Street Association.
• Annetta Vinson Earle (’76), Gaines-ville. She taught music in public schools in Oklahoma, California, Arkansas and Texas for 38 years. She was a church organist for more than 60 years, beginning at age 12.
• Linda Reinberg (’79 Ph.D.), Plano. She was a clinical psychologist who specialized in counseling Vietnam veterans. She wrote In the Field: The Language of the Vietnam War, the first reference book to list every significant term and phrase relating to the war, including military phrases, slang and acronyms.

1980s [ top ]

• Howard Arnold Shaw II (’84), Denton. He had been a programmer analyst in the Computing and Information Technology Center at UNT since 1998. He earned his bachelor’s degree in occupational education.
• Dennis Bradley Hilliard Sr. (’85), Haltom City. He worked at Bell helicopter for seven years and then went into teaching. Later, he worked at Sprint Nextel as a systems analyst and instructor.

1990s [ top ]

• Scott Owen Grogan (’91), Plano. He was one of the founding members of the Dallas office of McGriff, Seibels and Williams Inc., an insurance brokerage firm.
• Warren Allen Ferrill II (’95), Frisco. He was founder and owner of SuperScapes, a landscaping company. At UNT he was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity.
• Aaron Thomas Barker (’97), McKinney. He earned a general studies degree at UNT and was a manager for Chili’s.
• Richard A. McIntosh (’97 M.S.), Arlington. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He became a licensed professional counselor after completing his graduate degree in counseling at UNT.

2000s [ top ]

• Anthony Ramirez, Dallas. He was a sophomore hospitality management major who began attending UNT in the fall 2005 semester.

University Community [ top ]

• Winfree L. Brown (’51),San Angelo, chair of the North Texas Board of Regents, 1979-1985. He was the first alumnus to serve as chair of the board and presided over the search that named Alfred F. Hurley the 12th president and second chancellor in 1982. Brown entered North Texas after serving in the Navy in World War II. He worked as an independent landman for 50 years, assembling and promoting oil and gas drilling prospects. From 1970 to 1994 he served as a Midland County commissioner. In December 2005, Gov. Rick Perry appointed him to the Upper Colorado River Authority and he participated in the White House Conference on Aging at the request of President George W. Bush.
• James Rogers, Conroe, Professor Emeritus of journalism, 1953 to 1996. Rogers joined North Texas as assistant professor of journalism and news service director and later served as assistant to the president, vice president for administrative affairs, director of university planning and acting chair of the journalism department. He published his first history of the university, The Story of North Texas, in 1965. In 2002 he updated the work and continued the North Texas story to 2001. After serving as an infantryman in the U.S. Army and as an interpreter at the Japanese internment camp in Huntsville during World War II, Rogers earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, a master’s from the University of Texas and his doctorate from the University of Missouri.
• Robert A. Winslow, Professor Emeritus of music, 1975-1993. He was director of bands at UNT, including the UNT Wind Ensemble and the UNT Marching Band, and had conducted bands and orchestras and served as an adjudicator throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. After serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, Winslow earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles, a master’s from California State University at Northridge and a doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado. He recorded and performed as a percussionist with conductors and composers including Zubin Mehta, Andre Previn and Igor Stravinsky; was a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra for many years; and was an original member of the Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble under the direction of William Kraft.

Editor’s note: Careful readers might notice we’ve adopted a new style for the names of UNT people associated with UNT alums who have passed away. The style is in honor of coach Ken Bahnsen (’53, ’53 M.S.), whose name was listed in the fall “Friends We’ll Miss” in conjunction with an honor bestowed on him by a late alum. Some readers mistook the mention of Bahnsen’s name as a notice of his passing, and he and his wife fielded several sympathy calls. The names of people whose obituaries are being printed are blue; the names of UNT people mentioned elsewhere in the obits are now bold.