Alumni

Ben Morris Jr.

Ben Morris Jr. (’67), Houston. A certified public accountant, he worked at Price Waterhouse & Co., served as a chief financial officer and president at Mid-American Oil Company, and as chief operating officer for the Tatham Corporation. He co-founded Sanders Morris Harris Group in 1987, serving as CEO from 2000 to 2009. A member of the Kendall Society, he gave back to UNT by establishing The Ben and Margaret Morris Endowment and co-established The Hershel Anderson Professorship in Taxation for the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. He was named UNT’s Department of Accounting Outstanding Alumnus in 2006 and was presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2011. A business mentor to members of the incarcerated population, he also played guitar and was an avid Houston Astros fan.

Patricia J. McClish

Patricia J. McClish (’70), Winters. A respected customer service agent in the insurance industry, she retired following a lengthy career at Dexter and Company in Dallas. She was also known for her singing voice, which boasted a range from low alto to high soprano. She and her husband, Gary McClish, had relocated two years ago to the Austin area to be closer to their daughter .

Joseph Edward Murray Jr.

Joseph Edward Murray Jr. (’61), Lufkin. He led the Lufkin Daily News to a Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service for his work about a young man who died in Marine Corps training in the 1970s -- a series that also led to reforms in Marine Corps recruiting and training. It was one of many highlights in a long career that began when he worked for the Houston Chronicle. In the 1960s, Joseph began working for his hometown newspaper, earning the position of editor in 1969 and publisher in 1978. In 1989, he became a special writer for Cox Newspapers, writing columns that were also distributed by The New York Times and published around the nation. He loved traveling and continued his column until he retired in 2000.

Arthur James Cotten Jr.

Arthur James Cotten Jr. (’62), Murphy. At North Texas, he was a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He worked in the life insurance business for over 50 years. Arthur enjoyed fishing and spending time with his grandchildren, and he was known as a storyteller who loved a good joke. He was preceded in death by his wife, Nan Tuthill Cotten (’80).

James Everett Harrison

James Everett Harrison (’59), Dallas. A production management major, he worked for over 30 years with Southern Union Co. and then worked for Kaufman, Munn & Associates P.C. and Chase Bank. James was a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, attending games at the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium, and later watching them on TV. He also flew extensively, commuting by air to Austin every day for three years and earning many airline awards. Memorials, with "Accounting Excellence Fund” on the memo line, can be sent to UNT Division of University Advancement, 1155 Union Circle #311250 , Denton, TX 76203.

Norma Lynn Knobel Hunt

Norma Lynn Knobel Hunt (’60), Dallas. A secondary education major, she served as president of the Chi Omega sorority and was named Woman of the Year and Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities while at North Texas. Norma also completed post-graduate study in Dublin, Ireland, as part of the Rotary Club’s overseas fellowship program. A former teacher, she married the late Lamar Hunt, who was best known as the Kansas City Chiefs’ owner and founder of the American Football League, which merged into the NFL. They also were founding investors in the Chicago Bulls. She was the only woman to have attended all 57 Super Bowl games. She also was an avid traveler and art collector and involved in numerous charities.

Myra ‘Joan’ Bush

Myra ‘Joan’ Bush (’93 Ph.D.), Coppell. Though she began her long career in education as a music teacher, Dr. Bush found her calling in educational research and evaluation when working on her Ph.D. She worked as a data analyst, program evaluator and contractor for several school districts, with her final job as executive director of research and evaluation for Dallas ISD. She was known for her musical talent, thoughtfulness and kindness.

Nick Sloan

Nick Sloan (’05), 46, former adjunct professor in UNT’s Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science and a member of the Texas Emergency Management Hall of Fame, died June 24 in Sunnyvale.

After high school, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a machine gunner and then earned a Bachelor of Science at UNT with a major in emergency administration and planning and a minor in legal studies. He went on to earn an M.B.A. from Baylor and an M.P.A. from Texas A&M University.

Nick worked as homeland security coordinator at Dallas Fire-Rescue, served as a school board trustee at Sunnyvale ISD and was director of business continuity and emergency management at Baylor Scott and White Health. He was inducted into the Texas Emergency Management Hall of Fame in 2022.

At UNT, he taught emergency management and disaster science from 2018 to 2020, the year he was diagnosed with ALS.

He and his family — his wife, Shanda, who was his high school sweetheart, and their four children — formed the #AttackLifeSloan Foundation with a mission to advocate for and serve all patients with ALS (pALS), their families and caretaker teams. They also were building an inventory of medical equipment to improve patients’ quality of life.

Nick was active with ALS Texas, helping to lead a new veteran support group, raising funds and shining a light on the research showing that veterans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS as the general population.

“’Attack life’ is just kind of the spirit with which I feel I am called to move,” Nick said in a video produced by his church. “I think it’s interesting, when you get diagnosed with something that’s so terminal, you view everything in a different light. Let’s do something with it.”

A memorial service is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 1, at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, 4124 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, 75219. The service also will be livestreamed.

James Alfred Simpkins

Headshot of James SimpkinsJames Alfred Simpkins (’70), 81, of Denton, a business alumnus and staff member from 1977 to 2004, died June 6.

James worked in construction while attending North Texas, moving to retail management before starting a career with the university in what was then known as the Physical Plant. He served for 27 years, where his management and computer programming skills greatly helped foster innovation. He was an automation systems operator and plant engineer who transitioned into a supervisory position in the micro-maintenance shop, which built and repaired the desktop computers and servers used across campus. His sharp wit, generosity and humorous nature will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

Survivors include Gail, his wife of more than 60 years, who also worked at UNT.

Thomas E. ‘Ted’ Dalton

Thomas E. ‘Ted’ Dalton (’59, ’67 M.Ed., ’71 Ed.D.), Lakehills. While at North Texas, he was a member of Phi Delta Kappa, Kappa Alpha and the National Education Association. A lifelong learner, avid reader, educator and scholar, Ted spent 31 years in the classroom, retiring from teaching in 1990. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle in the Hill Country, driving his Corvette, lifting weights, listening to all kinds of music and watching the stock reports.

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