John Michael Vance (’67), Dallas :: He had a 33-year career at Binks Manufacturing, working in sales and marketing, and retired from Sysco Food Services in 2010. He was inducted into the Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame last year for his baseball talent. He coached baseball from T-Ball through AAA for the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

William McKee (’58 Ph.D.), Tulsa, Okla. :: He was a Professor Emeritus of French horn and music history at the University of Tulsa, having served on the faculty there for many years. He also conducted the orchestra and performed as a member of the faculty brass quintet there for more than 50 years and served as principal French horn for the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra. He was director of the TU School of Music for eight years while teaching graduate courses.

Jerry H. Damon (’55), Tillar, Ark. :: He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon at North Texas. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1960 and moved to Lewisville in 1964, going into practice as a general surgeon and family practitioner. For 12 years, he was a member of the Lewisville ISD school board, serving as vice president for seven years and as president for three years.

Jack Lewis Akins (’54), Durham, N.C. :: After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he earned his bachelor’s degree from North Texas and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He was in private practice and lived in several cities throughout Texas before settling in Waco in 1970. He retired from the Veterans Administration Regional Office in Waco in 1993, and he and his wife moved to Durham in 2009 to be closer to family. 

Mary Elizabeth Durett Stephens (’49), Lawrence, Kan. :: She was a keyboard artist, teacher and church musician who studied with Helen Hewitt and Silvio Scionti and earned a master’s in music from the University of Kansas. She taught there and at Victoria College and had her own studio. In addition to her church playing, she presented concerts regularly and was a frequent accompanist. She also worked for many years at the KU Library. She was planning to retire after 40 years of service as organist at Lawrence’s Trinity Episcopal Church. She was a member of the American Guild of Organists, the Association of Anglican Musicians, Pi Kappa Lambda, the Lawrence Music Club and the Peyton Society and a charter member of the Phi Tau chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon at North Texas. She was married for 62 years to pipe organ technician and fellow organist William J. Stephens (’49), whom she met in a practice room on campus.

Charles O. Onstead (’47), Houston :: He met his wife, the late Jo Ann Park Onstead (’44), namesake of Jody’s Fountain, at North Texas and finished his degree after serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. While completing a medical degree at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, he returned to active duty in the U.S. Army. He worked at Brooke Army Hospital, built and ran the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit in Landstuhl, Germany, and served as commanding officer of a medical battalion and a field hospital in Vietnam. He was chief of radiology at Brooke when he retired as a full colonel at age 48, then practiced as a radiologist in South Carolina until his retirement at 70. His decorations included the National Defense Medal with 1st Oak Leaf Cluster and a Bronze Star. Jody’s Fountain and Onstead Plaza and Promenade were funded by the Onstead family. The late Robert ‘Bob’ Onstead (’54) was Charles’ brother. Memorials may be made to the Onstead Institute for Education in the Visual Arts and Design Fund at UNT.

Clarence W. Powell (’39), Wichita Falls :: He earned his bachelor’s degree in business education from North Texas and returned for doctoral work after earning a master’s from Midwestern State University. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and taught high school for a decade. He retired as a civil service technical writer from Sheppard Air Force Base and also was a ham radio operator and a member of the American Radio Relay League for more than 60 years. His wife was the late Garlena Belle Henderson Powell (’39).

John Ed Balentine (’39), Gainesville :: Born on a farm in what is now Trophy Club, he remembered riding his pony to first grade at the Demonstration School on campus. In Tracks of A Country Boy, he recounted stories of his youth, including riding freight trains from California back to Texas when he was 19. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II with an antiaircraft division in Australia, New Guinea, Morotai and Manila and worked for 40 years for Magnolia Petroleum Co., later Exxon Mobil Corp. He and his wife moved to a farm in Gainesville in 1959, where he enjoyed trail rides and was active in the Cooke County Heritage Society and Antique Farm Equipment Club and was a member of the First United Methodist Church for more than 40 years. He rode horses until he was in his mid 80s. In 2008, he sold his farm and moved to Waco, where he spent time with great-grandchildren.

Tommie Jean Dobie Bothwell (’36, ’50 M.Ed.), Prosper :: She taught first and second grades for 37 years, including 35 years in Celina. She served as an elder and treasurer for her church for many years, and was a charter member of the Fidelis Inter Se Club. At North Texas, she was a member of the Elementary Council.

Peyton Foster ‘Doc’ Roden (’67 M.A., ’70 Ph.D.), Denton, professor of finance since 1975, died March 14. He was a teaching fellow in economics and in finance at North Texas before joining the faculty full time. His recent research and publications examined financial markets in Mexico, including the impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Roden received a UNT Citation for Distinguished Service to International Business in 2002 and was named director of the UNT Center for NAFTA Studies in 2003. He also was a certified managerial accountant and a certified financial manager. Roden previously taught at Baylor University and the University of New Orleans. He received a bachelor’s degree from Baylor, which he attended on a tennis scholarship, and master’s and doctoral degrees from UNT. Donations may be made to the Peyton Foster “Doc” Roden Memorial Scholarship Fund at UNT.