George L. Cook, 64, former scene shop supervisor for the Department of Dance and Theatre, died July 31. He retired in 2011. He spent much of his career behind the scenes of productions in Austin and North Texas. He built sets for movies such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Silkwood, served on the staff of the TV show Austin City Limits, worked as a stagehand for concerts in Austin and Dallas and helped on productions at UNT and the University of Texas at Austin.

Edward R. ‘Ed’ Johnson, 72, died April 25. Johnson was director of libraries at North Texas from 1979 to 1987 and an adjunct faculty member in library and information sciences. He was a graduate of the University of Colorado and earned master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin. At North Texas, he was responsible for the libraries at a time when the card catalog was being computerized and the Rare Book Room opened. He also worked at the University of Colorado, the University of Iowa and Pennsylvania State University, and he retired from Oklahoma State University, where he was Doris Neustadt Professor and dean of libraries. He published several journal articles and two books and was active in the Texas Library Association, where he was a member of the executive board, and the Oklahoma Library Association, which he served as president. OLA gave him its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2004 and honored him as a Library Legend during the state’s 2007 centennial celebrations. He loved fishing, especially fly-fishing, and was interested in Southwest history and archaeology.

Annette E. Guinsburg (’75), Dallas :: She was a resident assistant in Crumley Hall and Kerr Hall while completing her degree in history and German. After graduating, she traveled to Germany to care for her grandparents and returned later to work in the human resources field. Her friends say she was an avid gardener, a marvelous cook, a traveler and a collector of fine objects

Fred McCain (’48, ’49 M.S.), a major force in the development of the athletics program at UNT, died Feb. 26 in Denton. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he returned as quarterback for North Texas, playing on the 1946 team that went to the Optimist Bowl and leading the 1947 team to an appearance in the Salad Bowl and a 10-win season that is still a school record. He served as a football coach from 1950 to 1971, and as an assistant coach under Odus Mitchell helped break the color barrier by recruiting Abner Haynes and Leon King to the football program in 1956. He served as director of athletics in 1972 and again from 1982 to 1987, helping turn the football program around when he hired coach Corky Nelson. He also was director of the UNT Coliseum from 1973 to 1982. McCain was inducted into the UNT Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. Survivors include his wife, Mary (’48, ’52 M.S.).

Johnnye Louise Cope (’45), Librarian Emeritus, died Oct. 5 in San Angelo. She was born in Paint Rock and graduated from North Texas in 1945 with a bachelor’s degree in English (pictured as a student in 1943). She earned master’s degrees in English and library science from Ohio State University and the University of Michigan, respectively, and returned to UNT as a reference librarian in 1966. She served as head of the humanities reference department, retiring in 1988, and was granted emeritus status by the Board of Regents. She also had served as the reference and humanities librarian at Trinity University in San Antonio, Her friends say they will remember her for her “gracious nature, her love of literature and her wonderful wit.”

Rebecca Sue Reding Wright, Aubrey, an administrative assistant at UNT for almost 28 years, died Nov. 7. She retired in 2007 as administrative coordinator for the Department of Engineering Technology in the College of Engineering.

Nelia Mae Smith, Denton, undergraduate advisor in the Mayborn School of Journalism, who had worked in the journalism program since 1987, died June 4. She was the department’s first secretary and, after retiring in May 2002, returned the next fall to work in the school’s undergraduate advising office. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and received teacher certification for kindergarten through 12th grade. Students remember her as kind, calming and helpful. She turned her passion for gardening into a company called Plants Alive in the early 1980s, which allowed her to supervise interior landscaping for more than a dozen businesses, including Barton Creek Mall in Austin. She supervised the installation of the interior landscaping at Golden Triangle Mall in Denton when it was built and was its caretaker for the next six years. Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Don Smith, recently retired biology professor and tree expert.

Fred O. Graham (’57), Denton, served as North Texas’ first sports information director from 1959 to 1981, died Feb. 24. He was instrumental in promoting UNT athletics and some of the most successful teams in school history. He credited his wife, Sidney Sue Smith Graham (’57), with originating the nickname “Mean Green,” which he first used in a press release in reference to the football team’s defensive unit in 1967. He went on to serve as general manager of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and worked for the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys. He was inducted into the UNT Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.

She worked in the Department of Counseling, Development and Higher Education from 1988 to 2003, died March 3. She was an instructional support clerk for the department.