Elizabeth Mary Bator, 63, of Wichita Falls, died Jan. 9 in Wichita Falls. She was a math professor from 1983 to 2009. She enjoyed playing tennis, bowling and volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Denton program. She was a member of the American Mathematical Society. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Montclair State College and Ph.D. from Penn State University.

William David Love Appling, 83, of Denton, died Oct. 16 in Denton. He was a math professor from 1963 to 2003. He taught math at Duke University from 1960 to 1963. He served in the U.S. Army. He was popular with students and was known for his intelligence and keen sense of humor. He was a member of the American Mathematical Society. He earned his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jim Sybert (’55, ’56 M.A.), Professor Emeritus of physics, died Dec. 15 in Naples, Fla. He taught at UNT from 1956 to 1958 and 1961 until his retirement in 2004. He served as physics department chair from 1969 to 1980 and helped establish the physics Ph.D. program. His research interests, in addition to solid-state physics, included media techniques in the teaching of science, and his work was funded by the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation. He was also a visiting professor at the Institute Politechino Nacional in Mexico, Institute Teknologi MARA in Malaysia and several other colleges. Julia Sybert ('92, '94 M.B.A.) and son-in-law, mathmatics professor Michael Monticino. Donations may be made to the Jim Sybert Memorial Fund.

Edward Mattil, 99, Professor Emeritus and former chair of the art department who helped establish the Texas Fashion Collection, died Dec. 19. He began his career as an art teacher in public schools in Maryland and Pennsylvania after earning his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Penn State and serving in the U.S. Army. He then taught at Penn State, where he served as president of the National Art Education Association and helped develop one of the first children’s TV art programs. He received the National Gallery of Art’s Distinguished Service Medal for Leadership in Art Education and appeared before Congress to testify for the National Arts and Humanities Bill. He then served as dean of fine arts at St. Cloud State University before coming to North Texas, where he taught from 1971 to 1985. As the art department chair, he helped bring the collections of the Dallas Museum of Fashion to campus as the Texas Fashion Collection in 1972, and later established the Industrial Training Laboratory, which he served as director. He was a member of the President’s Council and the 1890 Society for his commitments to The Edward and Betty Mattil Scholarship and the Betty Marzan Mattil Scholarship. He returned to his hometown of State College, Pa., in 1989, where he was an active volunteer and avid art collector. He asked that those wishing to honor his memory perform an act of kindness.

Ray McAlister (’60 M.B.A.), 81, Professor Emeritus of marketing, of Coppell, died Aug. 10 in Lewisville. After graduating with a B.B.A. from Harding University and master's degree in marketing from North Texas, he earned a Ph.D. in marketing and credit management from Ohio State University in 1963. He worked at UNT from 1963 to 2005 and was named a Regents Professor in 1994. He had consulted for numerous companies and retail trade associations on matters related to consumer credit, and he shared his research and analyses of proposed consumer credit regulations at state and federal legislative hearings across the country. He was known as “Daddy Ray” to friends and family.

Lawrence Montaigne (’84, ’85 M.A.), 86, died March 17 in Henderson, Nev. He worked as an associate professor of film at UNT in the 1980s. He spent the majority of his life working as an actor, dancer and stuntman. He appeared in such movies as The Great Escape and Escape to Witch Mountain and is best known for his appearances on the original Star Trek TV series – including roles as the first Romulan on the show in the “Balance of Terror” episode and as a Vulcan in the “Amok Time” episode and the “Of Gods and Men” mini-series. He wrote for Walt Disney Productions and penned his own autobiography, A Vulcan Odyssey. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

John William Kensinger, 69, professor of finance, died July 26 in Denton. He joined the faculty in 1991 and taught for 26 years in the department. He received various teaching awards from UNT and wrote for numerous publications on finance in national and international journals and conferences. He previously taught at Ohio State University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin.

He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1968 and served active duty from 1969 to 1975 as an imagery intelligence officer in Thailand and Germany during the Vietnam War. He continued to serve in the Air Force reserves as an augmentee to Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, the Defense Intelligence Agency and Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He served in numerous postings and was serving as an individual mobilization augmentee (IMA) to Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, Intelligence, Directorate of Plans and Policy, Washington, D.C., at the time of his retirement in 1999. He received numerous commendations for meritorious service and retired with the rank of colonel.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Miami University, an M.B.A. from the University of Utah and his doctorate from Ohio State University. He was an active member of St. David of Wales Episcopal Church in Denton, serving as a lay reader, chalice bearer and leader of the adult Bible study class.

Jack Watson, 94, Professor Emeritus of kinesiology, health promotion and recreation, died July 13 in Denton. He joined the faculty in 1956 and taught 33 years in the department, also serving as chair. After his retirement, he continued to work as an adjunct and student teacher supervisor for 12 years.

He was a founding member of the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, served as president, received its Honor Award, attended the annual convention for 60 years and was recognized for his contributions with the David K. Brace Award. He also was involved in the community, serving as president of the Cross Timbers Girl Scouts Council, as a coach for Little League Baseball and as a member of the Denton city recreation board. He enjoyed music, travel, baseball and studying the history of sport.

After serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II as a navigator bombardier in Europe, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and his master’s and doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia University. He’d been an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Denton since 1956.

Margaret Irby Nichols (’45), 92, Professor Emerita of library and information sciences, died June 6 in Denton. She first began teaching at North Texas in 1956 and retired in 1996 from the faculty of the School of Library and Information Sciences, which she served as associate dean from 1989 to 1991. The program is now part of the College of Information. She specialized in reference services and government documents, and her contributions to the field included six books, numerous articles and hundreds of workshops in addition to the thousands of students and other information professionals she mentored through the years. She served on the executive board and then as president of the Texas Library Association and received the TLA Distinguished Service Award. The UNT Alumni Association recognized her with an Outstanding Service Award in 2011. She also edited Call Number, which became the College of Information’s alumni magazine, from 1988 until the publication ended. She earned her bachelor’s degree in library service at North Texas and a master’s in library science from the University of Texas at Austin. She began her library career in the 1940s, when she helped establish many small-town public libraries in Texas. She also taught at the Selwyn School in the 1960s. Memorials may be made to the Margaret Irby Nichols Scholarship.

Barbara Colegrove, 87, of Dallas, died Feb. 5. She was a journalism lecturer at North Texas from 1961 to 1972 and 1985 to 1986 and was the sponsor for Theta Sigma Phi, the women’s professional journalism organization. She was known as a creative teacher who staged events like sit-ins in her classes and had students write about them. She was named an Honorary Alumnus of UNT in 2003. She previously worked as a researcher for Time magazine and at Educational Television and Radio Center station, which later became PBS. After retirement, she worked as an editor and restaurant critic. She also taught at Southern Methodist University. She received numerous honors for her teaching, as well as the Women in Communications Matrix award. She and her late husband, Don, were members of the Chilton Society at UNT, and they established the Barbara Colegrove Journalism Scholarship in honor of her former students. She earned her master’s degree from the Columbia School of Journalism. As a longtime journalist, she named her dog, a Pekingese mix, Nellie Bly, and edited her newspaper obituary before her death.