James E. Cook (’68), Maryville, Tenn. He was employed as an accountant at Phillips Petroleum Co. in Bartlesville, Okla., for 31 years, retiring in 1999.

LaVera B. Gardner (’70 M.Ed.), Dallas. She worked for the Dallas ISD for 23 years as an elementary school teacher, vice principal and principal before retiring in 1980. She later served as director of Mom’s Day Out, a preschool program at East Dallas Christian Church.

Billy Charles Langley Sr. (’70), Weatherford. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and taught at Tarrant County Community College for more than 10 years. He wrote 24 books on heating, ventilation and air conditioning and was an avid traveler, camper, actor and model.

Dolores Carlee Vaughan Akins (’71 Ph.D.), Fort Worth. She taught Spanish in the Birdville and Hurst Euless Bedford ISDs and was a Professor Emeritus at Tarrant County College. A registered parliamentarian, she was past president of the Fort Worth chapter of the National Parliamentarian Association.

Patti Braker Balentine (’71), Denton. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and was managing editor of The Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal in UNT’s Institute of Petroleum Accounting. She’d worked for the university since 1981. She loved cooking, traveling, theatre, poetry, music and animals.

Lanny Sparks Garner (’72), Panhandle. He was a nationally recognized certified track builder and worked in the industry for more than 30 years. In 2004, he retired as president of VibraWhirl, founded by his uncle Marvin Sparks (’48). At North Texas, he was a member of the football team and Lambda Chi Alpha. He and his wife, Ronda Roberts Garner (’72), enjoyed doing mission work.

William Warner ‘Bill’ Burge (’76), Fort Worth. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years before earning his degree. From 1977 to 1993, he lived in Seattle, Wash., where he was a manufacturer’s representative in the orthopedic supply business. After returning to Fort Worth, he taught English at Brewer High School for several years. Most recently, he was an associate of Coldwell Banker Realtors.

Karen C. Janes (’80), Issaquah, Wash. She played and taught piano and double bass. She was the organizer and accompanist for the Northwest Recital Singers, principal bassist with the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra, president of Thalia Allied Artists and a member of numerous classical music organizations. She was an accompanist in more than 50 concerts a year and composed many songs published by Alberta Keys Publishers.

Ronald Charles Grafa (’85), Denton. He earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate and was a review appraiser for Countrywide.

Michael Edward Daly (’89, ’91 M.B.A.), Denton. He was a member of the U.S. Army Air Guard and was an airline pilot for 30 years. He worked for Braniff and Piedmont, and after retiring from U.S. Airways in 2007, he was employed with Southwest Airlines as a pilot trainee instructor.