Edwin Hoeffner (’43),Waco :: After graduating, he served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 514th Field Artillery Battalion in France, Belgium and Germany. When he returned from the war, he began a career with the Veterans Administration and later worked for Firmin Business Forms. Survivors include his wife, Vondee Webb Hoeffner (’42).

Mary Helen Stewart Gaiser (’41),Tyler :: She earned her degree in business education. After retiring from a 41-year public school teaching career, including 37 years at Tyler's John Tyler High School, she taught part time at Tyler Junior College for 15 years in the office technology department.  She retired there in 1999 at age 78. She was named an Outstanding Secondary Educator of America in 1973.

Martha F. Cargile Kirkbride (’39, ’42 M.S.), Decatur :: She earned her degrees in elementary education and worked as a teacher for 30 years before retiring.

Vera E. McCurdy Knight (’34), Bryan :: Attending North Texas on a full scholarship, she was a member of the Green Jackets and Pi Omega Pi and a reporter for the Campus Chat. She was the wife of the late Ulys Knight (’28), who was known as “Mr. North Texas” and is the namesake of UNT’s Ulys Knight Spirit Award. Vera worked as a church secretary for Floral Heights Methodist Church and for most of her career was an administrative assistant to the district superintendent of the North Texas Methodist Conference, both located in Wichita Falls. She also headed annual fund-raising campaigns for the church for many years. She played the organ and enjoyed music and traveling. She helped organize two alumni associations at UNT and remained interested in the activities and achievements of the university until her death. She was 98.

Robert F. ‘Robby’ Welch III, Fort Knox, Ky. :: He was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving as an ordnance officer, when he was killed in Afghanistan. He attended UNT from 2003 to 2007 and was a graduate of Wylie High School and the University of Texas at Arlington. He was on his first combat tour, assigned to the201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division based at Fort Knox. He was awarded the NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart posthumously. Survivors include his wife, Becky (’07), and two children.

Nicole E. Pyron, Arlington :: She was a junior kinesiology major at UNT and worked in the counseling office. She hoped to earn a doctorate in physical therapy. She was an equestrian who competed in several horse shows throughout Texas and Oklahoma. She also enjoyed music and was an avid reader and writer. A memorial scholarship is being established at UNT in her name.

James B. Corser III (’72 M.B.A.), Fort Worth :: He was a major in the U.S. Air Force, serving as a pilot for 21 years and earning 16 medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. During his second 21-year career, he was the business manager for the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. He was a 65-year member of First United Methodist of Fort Worth, serving as an usher for 30 years and volunteering at the First Street Methodist Mission and Meals on Wheels. He and his wife traveled extensively.

Edward M. Duran (’69 M.B.A.), Inverness, Ill. :: He was a CPA and served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. After earning his M.B.A., he was a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Board Options Exchange for more than 30 years.

Anthony ‘Biff’ Johnson (’87), Leander :: He had served as Leander city manager since 2004. He began his career in city management in Richardson, working first as a waterline repairman, and later served in Lancaster as public works director, assistant city manager and city manager. He worked in Wylie for seven years before moving to Leander.

Francis Stroup (’29), DeKalb, Ill., composer of “Fight, North Texas,” died Dec. 1 at 101. He wrote the fight song in 1939 as an entry in a contest for a new marching song. As a student, he was a member of the basketball team, played football and was a swimmer and diver. He was inducted into the UNT Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and earned his master’s and doctorate from the University of Southern California. He was a faculty member at the University of Wyoming and Arkansas’ Southern State College before joining Northern Illinois University, where he wrote the words to the fight song and was the first swimming and diving coach. His teams won 13 NCAA championships. After retiring as a professor of physical education, he continued to enjoy composing and playing music. His mother, Mina Gist Stroup, and brother, Malcolm Stroup, also were alumni. Read a fall 2008 North Texan story about Francis, and listen to his memories of the Depression.