Marianne Kingsbury Hart (’37), Harker Heights :: She taught for 25 years and was named teacher of the Year in Pecos in 1964. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and the Association of Retired Teachers. Her father, Joseph L. Kingsbury, history professor from 1925 to 1948, started the Historical Collection on campus and her mother, Mabel Kingsbury, became curator after his death. Marianne spoke at the dedication of the J.L. Kingsbury/Troy M. Thomason Library on campus in 1998. She is survived by her children, Jean Gallinger (’63), Richard Hart (’69) and Margaret Helm (’70).

Ina Mae Renfro Jacobs (’33), McKinney :: She worked in the University Book Room and earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She was a member of the Mary Ardens and the Elementary Council. Her daughter says she often spoke of her fond memories of attending dances and enjoying the Stage Band. Ina taught in Texas and New Mexico, retiring in 1977.

Malon Lee Mitchell (’50), Georgetown :: He earned his degree in merchandising from North Texas and, upon graduation, began a distinguished 38-year career with Kraft Foods as an office manager and auditor. He retired in 1988.

James ‘Jim’ Paul Cooper (’48), Odessa :: He was a World War II veteran who transferred to North Texas on a football scholarship and was named All-Lone Star Conference and Honorable Mention Little All-American. He was recruited by several professional football teams and played for the Brooklyn Dodgers for a season before pursuing a teaching and coaching career from 1949 to 1985. He coached and taught in Odessa, then in Anchorage and Amarillo before returning to the Odessa school system, where he taught and supervised the driver’s education program from 1967 to 1985. In 1967, a professional football team in Odessa, the Comets, and then the West Texas Rufneks, offered him the defensive coaching job. Memorials may be made in his name to the UNT football program.

Charles Evans Dickey (’51, ’52 M.S.), Fort Worth :: He worked for Alcon Laboratories Inc. for 32 years, beginning work there when it was a small pharmaceutical company just starting up. He was quality control manager for several years and then technical international service manager, setting up operations worldwide. He retired in 1985.

Gayla Tekell (’90 M.A.), Denton, lecturer in Spanish since 2003, died Aug. 16. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Baylor University before earning her master’s in Spanish from UNT. In addition to teaching at UNT, she was involved in weekly ministries to the Hispanic community, working with needy families and teaching English as a second language. She also coordinated her church’s summer mission trips to the Valley, where she worked with Hispanic churches and taught Bible studies in Spanish.

Robert J. ‘Bob’ Hardin (’50, ’56 M.A.), Denton, Professor Emeritus of French who worked at UNT from 1959 to 1994, died Aug. 16. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955, studying Russian at the Monterey Language Institute in California. He earned a doctorate in French from the University of Illinois, writing his dissertation on Marcel Proust, and received a post-doctorate Fulbright Research Grant for study at the University of Pau in France. He was a lifetime member of the President’s Council and a longtime supporter of the university. As a student, he was a member of Sigma Delta Pi and was named Who’s Who in foreign languages.

Robert Leon Smith (’09), Decatur :: He had worked as a commercial artist, illustrator and cartoonist and was focusing on painting and drawing. At UNT, he was on the Dean’s List and a member of Phi Kappa Phi. He served in the U.S. Air Force and Army National Guard and was a member of the Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Group, the Wise County Art Association, the Texas Artist Coalition and the Wise County Veterans Group. He was a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Bethany L. Hull Heinrichs (’98), Relay, Md. :: She earned her UNT degree in interdisciplinary studies, with minors in elementary education and reading. Her mother wanted Bethany’s UNT friends to know she passed away last year after a scooter accident while she was vacationing in Bermuda with her husband. She has a memorial on Facebook.

Joseph ‘Joe’ Brent Freeman (’85), Arlington :: He graduated from North Texas with a business degree and had been employed with the Arlington ISD and the Texas Rangers. Survivors include his mother, Lynda Peterson Freeman, who attended North Texas in 1957-58.