Faculty

Douglas Calvin Westbrook

Douglas Calvin Westbrook, Denton, professor of secondary education, 1970-1988, died Feb. 21. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education at Northwestern State College and earned his master’s in music education from the University of Northern Colorado. He taught music and was the high school choir director for more than 20 years in Natchitoches before earning his doctorate in college teaching at LSU and joining the UNT faculty. He studied competency-based teacher education at the state and national levels and taught workshops focusing on strategies to improve in-service teacher effectiveness. He was a member of the Association for Teacher Educators and the National Education Association, among other organizations.

Frank M. Rachel

Frank M. Rachel, Denton, Professor Emeritus of management, 1962-2005, died Dec. 31. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Illinois. He wrote books on office and administrative management, business systems and strategic compensation management and published numerous articles in his field. He was named a Regents Professor in 1989. He worked in managerial positions for Southwestern Bell before joining the university and later was a consultant for a variety of companies. He also enjoyed flying, sailing, traveling, camping, fly fishing and photography.

Karl Richard 'Dick' Johansson

Karl Richard ‘Dick’ Johansson, Denton, professor of microbiology, 1973-1986, died Jan. 19. He was chair of the Department of Biological Sciences from 1973 to 1982. He earned an undergraduate degree in microbiology, a master’s in veterinary science and a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve aboard the U.S.S. Cleveland in World War II. He also taught at the University of California-Davis, the University of Minnesota, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Texas Medical School and worked at the National Institutes of Health and the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia.

E.V. 'Vaughn' Huffstutler

E.V. ‘Vaughn’ Huffstutler, Denton, Professor Emeritus of education, 1968-1981, died Feb 22. He developed the doctoral program for school superintendents during his tenure. An expert on school administration, he created and revised policies for many Texas school districts from 1969 into the 1980s. He began his career at age 19 in a two-teacher school in Carter and was superintendent of schools in Millsap, Glen Rose, Clarksville, Belton, Port Lavaca, Texarkana and Beaumont. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Daniel Baker University, a master’s from Texas Christian University and a doctorate from Baylor University.

Arthur Joseph Gionet

Arthur Joseph Gionet, Denton, Professor Emeritus of French, 1961-1995, died Jan. 16. After serving in the U.S. Air Force from 1948 to 1952, he completed his bachelor’s degree at St. Thomas University and earned master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas. He served as advisor for UNT’s cooperative education exchange program with France and was a translator and interpreter, working with the French consul. In 1987, he was named one of the university’s first Regents Professors, selected for distinguished teaching and research. He was knighted by the French government for his promotion of all things French, the highest honor bestowed upon a non-French citizen.

Joseph Doster

Joseph Doster, Southlake, professor of psychology since 1976, died Dec. 12. He was director of the health psychology program for 25 years. He received a doctorate from Emory University and taught at the University of Missouri and the University of Georgia before joining North Texas. He provided the leadership that resulted in the initial national accreditations for the clinical and health psychology programs and was involved in finding financial support for students completing graduate studies. His extensive research on cognitive and interpersonal processes in health, illness and recovering roles was funded by numerous health organizations. He enjoyed traveling, literature, music, art and theatre, and took his family on many trips to Europe, Canada, Costa Rica and across the United States.

Hershel M. Anderson

Hershel M. Anderson (’55), Rockport, Professor Emeritus of accounting, 1961-1988, died Dec. 26. After serving two tours in the U.S. Armed Forces, he earned a bachelor’s degree from North Texas and was named the outstanding accounting graduate. He worked for two years on the audit staff at Arthur Andersen in Dallas. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas and a doctorate from the University of Illinois. The author of multiple articles and books, he co-wrote Introduction to Taxation, one of the most widely used textbooks in the field for 25 years. He and his wife, Elaine Austin Anderson (’54), spent many of their retirement years in Ruidoso, N.M. They worked with the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico, building a school and establishing an orchard.

Gayla Tekell

Gayla Tekell (’90 M.A.), Denton, lecturer in Spanish since 2003, died Aug. 16. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Baylor University before earning her master’s in Spanish from UNT. In addition to teaching at UNT, she was involved in weekly ministries to the Hispanic community, working with needy families and teaching English as a second language. She also coordinated her church’s summer mission trips to the Valley, where she worked with Hispanic churches and taught Bible studies in Spanish.

Scott K. Simpkins

Scott K. Simpkins, Denton, professor of English since 1989, died Sept. 19. Before joining UNT, he was an assistant professor at South Dakota State University. He was the author of Literary Semiotics: A Critical Approach, published in 2001, and edited several volumes of the annual publication, Semiotics. From 1993 to 2003, he edited Studies in the Novel, a journal published by the UNT Department of English. His research focused on literary theory, composition, English romantic literature, modernism and semiotics. He was a lecturer in the Semiotics Institute Online since 1996. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, a master’s in English from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and a doctorate in English from the University of Tulsa.

Robert ‘Bob’ Lee Hughes

Robert ‘Bob’ Lee Hughes, Denton, Professor Emeritus of English who worked at UNT from 1962 to 1992, died Sept. 24. He taught in the Honors Program and served as director of basic courses, where he mentored teaching fellows in the English department, until his retirement. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1953 after two interruptions for year-long tours of duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, first in the Marine Reserves and then as a sergeant in combat in Korea. He completed his master’s at Oklahoma University in 1956. He taught for two years at Emporia State, then for four years he was both a full-time instructor and a doctoral student at the University of Missouri, where he earned his Ph.D.

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