Dorothy Byrd, Denton, former assistant dean of the School of Community Service who served as director of the University Center for Community Services, died Feb. 25 in Denton. She joined the center in 1968 and served as program director before becoming director in 1970. She is considered the mother of the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program, serving as director of that program and of the clerks’ association from 1968 to 1993, when she retired as director emerita. Byrd received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Texas Woman’s University and did further graduate study in management and organization theory at North Texas.

Leon Breeden, Denton, Professor Emeritus of music who led UNT’s jazz program to international prominence, died Aug. 11. Breeden served as director of the jazz studies program and the One O’Clock Lab Band from 1959 to 1981. He started the band’s tradition of recording an album every year and, under his direction, the One O’Clock earned its first two Grammy nominations. A respected clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger and composer, Breeden wrote arrangements performed by many groups, including the Boston Pops and the Cleveland and Cincinnati orchestras. He was named an Honorary Alumnus at UNT in 1986. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from TCU and received honorary doctorates from TCU and UNT. Memorials may be made to the Leon Breeden Music Scholarship or the Leon Breeden Jazz Trumpet Scholarship in the College of Music. Visit the jazz studies division's "A Leon Breeden Retrospective" for photos and documents and "Remembering Leon Breeden" to share your memories.

Alan Mayper, Denton, professor of accounting since 1987, died May 12. Before earning a doctorate at the University of Florida, he practiced as a certified public accountant with Arthur Young and Company in Denver. His teaching interests included financial accounting and accounting theory, and he taught the behavioral accounting research seminar for the UNT doctoral program. He was a life member of the President’s Council. Survivors include his wife, Barbara Merino, professor of accounting, Donations may be made to the UNT basketball program.

E.E. Stuessy, Austin, who served on the North Texas Board of Regents from 1973 to 1985, died Feb. 22. He was first appointed to the board by Gov. Dolph Briscoe and had been active in the Austin Chamber of Commerce and as a board member of the Austin City National Bank, Boy Scouts of America, Junior Achievement, Operation Orphans Inc. and the Austin Child Guidance Clinic. As a regent, the retired contractor and owner of the E.E. Stuessy Co. served as chair of the building committee.

Lee Gerald Knox, Denton, assistant professor of geography who worked at North Texas from 1949 to 1985, died Feb. 15. He served in the Army during World War II, participating in seven landings and in campaigns in Europe and North Africa, then earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oklahoma State University. He first visited North Texas as the national representative of Gamma Theta Upsilon to set up a chapter of the geography honor society on campus and was soon hired to teach physical geography and geology.

Known for his sense of humor and colorful stories, he enjoyed leading student geological field trips with destinations ranging from the nearby Wichita Mountains to Canada and both coasts. On campus, he served in the Faculty Senate for many years and volunteered as the “Voice of the Eagles,” announcing football and basketball games. He also volunteered as a special events coordinator, bringing entertainers such as The Grass Roots to campus, and directed the Homecoming Parade. He was named an outstanding faculty member for his service to the university and in 1985 received the student body’s highest honor, the ’Fessor Graham Award.

He had served as commander of the American Legion Post 71, directed Boy Scout activities and for more than 45 years was a Denton election judge. In later years, he was a volunteer at the Fort Worth National Archives.

Kathleen Kirk Gilmore, Dallas, research scientist and adjunct professor from 1975 to 1989, died March 18. After earning her doctorate in anthropology from Southern Methodist University at the age of 58, she became an authority on Spanish Colonial archaeology. She excavated a number of Spanish forts in Texas and was the first archaeologist to prove the location of La Salle’s Fort St. Louis. Gilmore was the first female president of the Society for Historical Archaeology, and president of the Texas Archaeological Society and the Council of Texas Archaeologists. She served on the Texas Board of Review and the board of the Texas Historical Foundation. In 1995, she was the first woman to receive the Harrington Medal in Historical Archaeology, and she received the Governor’s Award for Historical Preservation in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree in geology from Oklahoma University. At the time of her death at 95, she was continuing research that had recently taken her to Spain, for a book she was writing about a Spanish captain.

Margaret "Madge" Theresa Craig, associate professor of teacher education and administration who worked at UNT from 1991 to 2000, died March 21. A native of Canada, she taught in Prince George and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of British Columbia and her master’s and doctorate in education from the University of Victoria. At UNT, she taught reading education to future teachers and won the Shelton Excellence in Teaching Award in 1995-96. After retiring, she returned to Victoria and enjoyed hiking, cycling, gardening, volunteering and participating in theatre productions. Memorials may be made to the Margaret T. Craig Scholarship at UNT.

Albert E. Gates, North Texas regent from 1976 to 1983, died July 25, 2009. He attended Texas A&I and Texas A&M universities and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He was stationed at Williams Field in Arizona, then studied Italian at the University of California at Los Angeles before watching over Italian prisoners of war at Camp Perry in Ohio. He was a rancher, president of Espejo Corp. and director of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the First Federal Savings & Loan in Laredo and the First National Bank of Carrizo Springs. He was instrumental in implementing a screwworm eradication program in Texas and Mexico. He and his wife enjoyed traveling on ranch tours around the country and the world.

Betty Pope (’70), Clinton, Miss. :: She was a former music librarian at UNT, and after retiring taught piano lessons at her home in Denton. She previously taught music at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga., and at Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home in Monroe, La. She moved to Clinton in 2001.

Frank L. Collins, Denton, professor of psychology since 2007 and director of training for the clinical health psychology and behavioral medicine doctoral program, died Dec. 19. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Northwestern Louisiana State University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Auburn University. He previously worked at Oklahoma State University, Rush Medical Center and the University of West Virginia and had served as president of the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology, as a member of the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Accreditation, and as president of the Oklahoma Psychological Association. Survivors include his wife, Jennifer Callahan, assistant professor of psychology. Memorials may be made to the Frank L. Collins Scholarship Fund at UNT.