Darlene Bonner (’65), Jacksboro. For 37 years, she served as a high school English and French teacher and counselor. She also assisted with high school plays and organizations such as the National Honor Society, Student Council, Nike Club and the International Thespian Society. After retiring, she served as an educational counselor at Bridgeport and Jacksboro state correctional facilities for many years. She was a member of the UNT Alumni Association and had season tickets for the Mean Green football season.

James Curl (’51), Galveston. He served in the U.S. Navy, then studied business at North Texas, where he met his wife Elaine (’50) in the library. He loved playing tennis, going fishing and was an avid reader. He kept a garden behind a white picket fence in the front of his home, walked his dog every day, and made friends with his neighbors.

Homer B. Johnson (’49), Garland. He attended North Texas on a football scholarship and was a member of the Geezles. At age 20, he was assistant football coach for Garland ISD, then served in the Korean War before returning to Garland ISD to serve as head football coach. He was later named the district’s first athletic director in 1963. In 1985, Garland ISD renamed its stadium after him, and he was inducted into numerous athletic halls of fame. He retired in 2016 after 68 years with Garland ISD.

Jerry Whitt (’64), Memphis, Tennessee. He taught at Middle Tennessee State and was the first dean of the School of Management at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. After retiring, he spent 22 years as a watercolor artist.

Martin Edwin “Ed” Thornton (’77), Aubrey. He was an emergency room doctor who frequently volunteered to aid in humanitarian relief -- leading him to appear on the cover of the spring 2014 issue of the North Texan. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the UNT Health Science Center and became interested in volunteering after disasters following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A leader of the American Board of Physician Specialists and the Texas Disaster Medical Assistance Team for Region 4, he also was a frequent missionary, traveling to Guatemala, Africa and Mexico during Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy and the Haiti earthquake. After he retired, he worked with the Joint Commission, which oversees patient safety in health care. He and his wife, Jana, were members of the President’s Council for their generosity to UNT. Donations can be made to The Dr. Ed Thornton Memorial Scholarship.

Wallace “Wayne” Hopkins (’64, ’68 M.Ed.), Dallas. While at North Texas, he was a basketball player on scholarship and a member of the Geezles fraternity. He worked on his family’s farm and later ran a metal fabrication and billboard sign structure company that constructed billboards all around the United States, including the first triple billboard sign at Texas Stadium. He enjoyed traveling and golfing.

John Wright Jr. (’51), Dallas. He was a member of the Chilton Society and established the John and Topsy Wright Regents Graduate Scholarship with his wife, the late Topsy Roberson (’50), whom he met at North Texas. He was a practicing lawyer for 60 years, working for various North Texas ISD schools, and a three-term member of the Texas House of Representatives. A former minor league baseball player, he was an avid sports fan and athlete.

Linda Young Farrington (’57), Dallas, was a member of the President’s Council along with her husband, Jerry Farrington (’55), for their donations to UNT. The couple were married 63 years. Farrington was a first-grade teacher in Midland and loved to paint, design and bake.

Alton H. Pettit, Jr. (’53), Racine, Wisconsin. A World War II veteran, Alton enlisted in the Army Air Forces and served for seven years, honorably discharging as a staff sergeant. He worked for a variety of national and international firms, including two decades with Massey Ferguson, and enjoyed many friendships with coworkers. Survivors include his wife, Sophie Pettit (’53, ’54 M.S.), and son Alex (’14 Ph.D.).

Charles E. Cole (’57), Santa Fe, N.M. After graduating from North Texas, he received his divinity degree from Yale and served as a pastor before spending his career as a writer and editor. He spent his life advocating for civil rights, from demonstrating in solidarity with Black student who took part in sit-ins against Woolworth's in the south in the 1950s to nuclear rights conferences in the 2010s. He enjoyed hiking, mountain climbing and the arts.