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, 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.

Robert J. ‘Bob’ Hardin (’50, ’56 M.A.), Denton, Professor Emeritus of French who worked at UNT from 1959 to 1994, died Aug. 16. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955, studying Russian at the Monterey Language Institute in California. He earned a doctorate in French from the University of Illinois, writing his dissertation on Marcel Proust, and received a post-doctorate Fulbright Research Grant for study at the University of Pau in France. He was a lifetime member of the President’s Council and a longtime supporter of the university. As a student, he was a member of Sigma Delta Pi and was named Who’s Who in foreign languages.

Mitchell Douglas ‘Mick’ Bohn, Flower Mound, adjunct instructor in accounting, died Oct. 20. A certified public accountant, Bohn previously was a consultant to several companies and an auditor with Price Waterhouse and for the state of North Dakota. He also taught at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. He was a graduate of the University of North Dakota, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Bill Blakeley, Dallas, men’s basketball head coach from the 1975-76 to 1982-83 seasons, died Oct. 27. His teams won 20 games in three consecutive seasons, and his record of 134 wins ranks third in UNT history. Hired by athletic director and football coach Hayden Fry, he took over a team that won only six games in 1974 and led the Mean Green to a 22-4 finish, including victories over SMU, Baylor and Arizona State. Blakeley had previously coached for St. Mark’s School of Texas and for Christian College of the Southwest. He coached the Dallas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association in 1970-71, a franchise that moved to San Antonio and eventually became the Spurs. After leaving UNT, he served as president of Talent Sports International and represented numerous NBA and NFL players. He was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

Larry Naylor, Hunt, professor and chair of anthropology who worked at UNT from 1978 to 2005, died June 17. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the State University of New York at Geneseo and his doctoral degree from Southern Illinois University. Naylor completed social-cultural fieldwork in Papua, New Guinea, and Ecuador and was on the anthropology faculty at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks before joining North Texas as director of the anthropology program. He helped develop the Department of Anthropology and served as chair for 14 years. He published six books and developed many online courses over his career. Naylor was a U.S. Army paratrooper with the Special Forces and was stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., during the Vietnam War. Memorial donations may be made to the Larry L. Naylor Anthropology Student Scholarship.

Mark B. DeLoach (’87 M.A.), Vashon, Wash., former director of debate and associate professor of communication studies, died July 24. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, his master’s in communication and public address at UNT and his doctorate from the University of Southern California. He joined the UNT faculty in 1991 and was known as an advocate and mentor for his students. An expert in debate and campaign communication, he had served as a political debate analyst and was a member of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation. He left UNT in 2000 to become a principal with Leadership Research Institute. A debate scholarship is being set up in his name at UNT.

Alton Thibodeaux Jr., Denton, a pioneer in the university's diversity programs, died June 6 in Denton. Joining North Texas in 1972 as assistant director of financial aid, Thibodeaux became founding director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and the university’s first African American equal opportunity officer in 1977. He retired in 1992 as associate vice president for equity and diversity. In 1993, he received the university’s Honorary Alumnus award and the Alton Thibodeaux Scholarship was established in honor of his work at UNT. The Student Government Association also established the Alton Thibodeaux Leadership Diversity Award. Thibodeaux was honorary co-chair of UNT’s yearlong observance of the 50th anniversary of its desegregation in 2004 and was a committee member for the annual Emerald Ball, which raises funds for the Emerald Eagle Scholars program. Thibodeaux was a graduate of Grambling State University. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Shepherd Thibodeaux (’76 Ph.D.), associate dean and longtime faculty member in the College of Business.

Henry Whiddon, Denton, Professor Emeritus of art who taught at UNT from 1964 to 1995, died April 29. He earned an arts diploma from the High Museum School of Art, studied at Mexico City College in Mexico, earned a bachelor’s from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland and a master’s from the University of Georgia. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was chair of the art department at Texas Wesleyan University before joining North Texas, where he taught primarily drawing and painting. His artwork is included in collections of the High Art Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, University of Oklahoma, Pensacola Art Museum, University of Georgia, California College of Arts and Crafts, Telfair Museum in Savannah, Ga., UNT and private collections nationwide. He also had a passion for gourmet food, opera and classical music, was a master gardener, and an enthusiast of primitive and Native American art and culture.

David Webb, Denton, Librarian Emeritus who served as director of libraries from 1953 to 1978 and as director of the library school, died May 4 in Denton. Webb received bachelor’s degrees from the University of South Carolina and Emory University, a master’s from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from the University of Chicago. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving as a surgical technician in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. At North Texas, he was influential in developing the libraries and what became the School of Library and Information Sciences, now the College of Information. While head of the department of library services, he was instrumental in achieving accreditation for the academic program in 1965, and he developed the master’s degree program in 1963. In the libraries, he was responsible for innovations such as opening the stacks to students and building Willis Library. Memorials may be made to the Ruth Hammerle Memorial Fund at the UNT Music Library, which he established in memory of his wife.