Faculty

Don Schol

Headshot of Don ScholDon Schol, 82, of Argyle, Professor Emeritus of visual arts and design and founder of the photography program, died Feb. 2. He worked at UNT for 41 years, joined the art faculty in 1969 and retiring as associate dean for administrative affairs in what was then the School of Visual Arts and Design.

He was hired to create the photography department and he was a sculpture faculty member. His primary work was in wood sculpture, which frequently involved Honduran mahogany, hand carving chisels and techniques from the Middle Ages. His work often touched on faith and was commissioned by churches throughout the DFW area and in Nigeria. Students and colleagues remember him for his mentorship.

Before coming to UNT, he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army infantry. He also was a team leader for U.S. Army Combat Artist Team V for a short time in Vietnam. The sculptures and drawings he created for the U.S. Army are archived at the Smithsonian Institution. He published War Cuts, a book of woodcut prints and commentary about his experiences, and the original woodcut prints are on display at the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire, New Mexico.

He received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Dallas and his Master of Fine Arts in sculpture and drawing from the University of Texas at Austin.

He is survived by his wife, Pamela B. Burnley-Schol (’89 M.F.A.).

Mildred Catherine “Katy” Dawson

Headshot of Katy DawsonMildred Catherine “Katy” Dawson (’48, ’49 M.S.), 93, of Denton, who had served as an adjunct professor of Spanish and was a member of the President’s Council for her generous donations, died April 1.

She was a longtime member of the UNT Alumni Association and former president of the Women of UNT.

She met her husband, the late David Dawson ('47, '48 M.S.), during her first year as a student, and all six of their children earned degrees from UNT. In fact, she was part of five generations of her family with ties to campus, beginning with her grandfather W.N. Masters, founder of the chemistry department. Read more about the family in our 2017 article.

In addition to earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Katy took postgraduate classes at UNT, the University of Texas at Austin and Instituto de Filologia Española in Saltillo, Mexico.

Her husband served on the math faculty at North Texas for 27 years, and after all their children were in school, Katy taught Spanish as an adjunct. In 1986, she received the Honor Professor Award from the Meadows Foundation for helping to develop a Spanish program for the students in the Meadows Excellence in Teaching Program.

After David’s death in 2011, Katy established the David F. Dawson Endowment for Student Excellence in his memory, to provide scholarships to high-performing mathematics students.

She was passionate about philanthropy and volunteering. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church and its adult handbell ensemble, and she served as president of the Denton Benefit League and Ann’s Haven Hospice/VNA Auxiliary.

Wesley W. Wenrich

Wesley W. Wenrich, 90, of Highland Village, Professor Emeritus of psychology, died Nov. 30, 2022. He joined UNT from Roanoke College in 1970 to help build the clinical psychology program and taught in the Department of Psychology until his retirement in 1993.

The department added many graduate programs during his time at UNT. He taught a practicum in psychotherapy, new courses in psychopathology and was one of the creators of what became the health psychology/behavioral medicine doctoral program in the department. He co-wrote one of the earliest textbooks in that area to use the term “Behavioral Medicine” in its title.

He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, a master’s at Michigan State University and a doctorate at the University of Minnesota. His wife, the late Lindsey Paulson Wenrich, studied art, biology and English at UNT.

J.B. Spalding

J.B. Spalding as The CountJ.B. Spalding, 79, of Denton, who taught business statistics from 1970 to 2005 as an associate professor of information technology and decision sciences, died Nov. 6.

His specialty was statistical analysis of data and he consulted in statistical analysis in discrimination cases. He also served as associate dean for student affairs in what is now the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. In 1975-76, he was president of the Southwest Decision Sciences Institute. In 1986, he won the 'Fessor Graham Award, the highest honor given by the student body for outstanding faculty members.

Students recalled his talent for helping them to understand difficult material. But he earned his reputation as “The Count,” dressing up as a vampire to encourage blood donations at campus drives. He donated more than 10 gallons during his lifetime. His license plate even bore the word “Kount.”

He earned his bachelor’s degree at Fort Lewis College and his master’s degree and doctorate at Texas Tech University. He loved to travel and tell jokes, and his family says he did not have the gene for being embarrassed.

A celebration of life — “to honor his love of life, constant joyful attitude and love of all things silly” — will take place at 2 p.m. Jan. 14, 2023, at Faith United Methodist Church, 6060 Teasley, in Denton. You’re asked to wear colors that bring you joy.

Solveig Olsen

Headshot of Solveig OlsonSolveig Olsen, 82, of Denton, Professor Emerita who taught German in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures (formerly Foreign Languages and Literatures) for 37 years, died Dec. 25.

She was named an Outstanding Honor Professor at UNT and received the President’s Council University Teaching Award. She founded and directed the UNT chapters of the foreign language honor society, Phi Sigma Iota, and the German honor society, Delta Phi Alpha, as well as directing an annual exchange between UNT and the University of Luneburg, Germany.

She served as department chair, participated in a number of committees and wrote numerous books, papers, presentations and articles. Dr. Olsen retired in 2005 and has since established several annual scholarships for the department, including the Edist/Solveig Olsen Scholarship and the Martha A. Olsen Memorial Scholarship.

She earned an M.A. in German from the University of Oslo and a Ph.D. in Germanics from Rice University.

The service will take place at 2 p.m. Jan. 18 at Roselawn Memorial Park, 3801 Roselawn Drive in Denton.

John Paul Eddy

John Paul EddyJohn Paul Eddy, 90, of Denton, Professor Emeritus of counseling, development and higher education in the College of Education, who taught at UNT from 1978 to 2000, died Dec. 6.

He took on the position after a lifetime of activism in the civil rights movement. In his early 20s, after receiving his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Minnesota, he served as missionary in the Philippines and studied at the Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Along with his wife Betty, Dr. Eddy served as a campus minister with the Wesley Foundation, which led to his involvement with the civil rights movement – including hosting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his church and attending the March on Washington.

In 1965, Dr. Eddy pursued a career in higher education, earning a Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University. He taught at Johnson State College in Vermont, New Mexico Tech in Socorro and Loyola University in Chicago and served as an educational fellow at NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, before coming to UNT.

He was a frequent writer and speaker – producing nearly 40 books and more than 400 journal articles – and served as a mentor for doctoral students. He was a frequent traveler for professional conferences and made visits to former students. He co-wrote one textbook with a former student, Sang-Kil Kim (’90 Ph.D.) for South Korean universities. He received the Notable Achievement Award from the Association of Counselors and Educators in Government in 1998 for his work. During his retirement, he hosted a public access TV show, ran for local office and volunteered for the Salvation Army.

Robert Desiderato Jr.

Robert Desiderato Jr., 83, of Denton, Professor Emeritus of chemistry who worked at UNT from 1966 to 2004, died Dec. 30. Dr. Desiderato joined UNT to initiate research in X-ray studies of compounds to elucidate chemical structures. His research carried him frequently to the Oak Ridge Science Center during summer months.

At UNT — where he was known to his students as “Dr. D” — he was active in Alpha Chi Sigma, the national professional chemistry society, and served as the Beta Eta chapter advisor for more than 30 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and his doctorate at Rice University. He enjoyed pizza, crossword puzzles, trivia, his Get Classy with Bob music hour and helping people in need.

Paris Milton Rutherford III

Paris Milton Rutherford III, 88, of Dallas, Professor Emeritus of jazz studies who was pivotal in elevating jazz education in his 30-year career at UNT, died Nov. 23.

He began playing piano at age 4, and as a young adult he played the trombone in the 4th Army Band and Dallas Symphony Orchestra and wrote advertising jingles while living in Dallas. He used his immense love for music to begin educating others at UNT in 1978. He taught instrumental arranging, led a group of vocalists called The Commercial Singers, and founded and developed the vocal jazz degree at UNT. For 30 years he coordinated vocal jazz studies and directed the award-winning UNT Jazz Singers. He was named a Regents Professor in 2008.

In 2009, alumni, faculty and friends of the vocal jazz studies program established The Jazz Leadership Fund in his honor to provide scholarships for vocal jazz majors. He was a President’s Council member with his wife, Lynne, and, after retiring in 2009, he continued to write and produce new vocal jazz arrangements for Hal Leonard Publications.

He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Methodist University.

Services are scheduled at 11 a.m. Jan. 14, 2023, at Stonebriar Community Church, 4801 Legendary Drive, Frisco.

Donations may be made to the Jazz Leadership Scholarship in Honor of Paris Rutherford at UNT. A memorial concert is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Voertman Hall in the UNT Music Building.

Fred W. Tanner Jr.

Fred W. Tanner Jr., 91, of Brenham, Professor Emeritus of elementary education, died Nov. 3. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Morehead State College in Morehead, Kentucky, worked as a teacher and principal when he was in his 20s, then received his doctorate in education from Indiana University. He taught at Georgetown College in Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky State University and Northwestern State University in Louisiana before coming to UNT, where he worked from 1968 to 1987. Inner-city school teaching was one of his areas of research. He spent his retirement traveling and living in Colorado and Sun City, Texas.

Keith Whisnant Turner

Keith Whisnant Turner, 73, of Corinth, an associate professor of applied gerontology who worked at UNT from 1991 to 2020, died Sept. 24 in Plano.

After a professional career serving in aging and mental health programs, he began his faculty career at the University of Cincinnati and joined the UNT faculty in what was then the Center for Studies in Aging. He helped build the graduate degrees in applied gerontology, which included one of the earliest online master's degrees, and directed field internship placement for undergraduate and graduate students. His research covered the development and evaluation of community level programs and services for the aged, people with disabilities and populations with special health care needs. In 2013, he was part of a group that helped establish a gerontology partnership in Nigeria.

He served as an advisor and built partnerships with organizations such as Denton County Geriatric Services Workgroup, the North Central Texas Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging, the Denton County MH/MR Authority, the Denton County Health Department and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Inc. He also worked as a consultant, providing board leadership training, strategic planning technical assistance, and dispute resolution systems and mediation for nonprofit agencies and other organizations. 

Turner was a member of the Faculty Senate and an advisor for the UNT Gerontological Student Association, and he served on numerous other committees. Colleagues remember him for his support of his students and his passion for social justice and equity.

He earned his psychology degree from Xavier University in 1971, his master’s degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 1974, and an interdisciplinary doctoral degree in geriatrics, health policy/administration and urban planning from the University of Cincinnati in 1989.

 

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