I was saddened to learn of the passing of a wonderful colleague and friend, Dr. Robert Toulouse. Bob and his wife Virginia were such kind and thoughtful people. I had the pleasure to work with Bob while he was graduate dean and when he served as provost. He was a real role model for all to see.

Scurrying around the office and campus with white hair waving, he was affectionately called "the white tornado" by his staff. Still, Bob always had time to sit and discuss the situation of the day. And he was always thoughtful and considerate of the faculty and the university community in general. He also was well traveled and knowledgeable about world cultures.

We all looked to Bob as the person we could trust to make thoughtful decisions about faculty and student matters. We knew his heart was in the right place and he would be fair and impartial. Our graduate programs were the envy of other higher education institutions. They were diverse and of high quality. Bob was chiefly responsible for this growth and quality. I shall miss my friend, Bob.

Richard Rafes ('90 Ph.D.),
former UNT senior vice president, vice chancellor and general counsel
Caldwell, West Virginia

I met Bob and Virginia Toulouse at First United Methodist Church in Denton; they were some of the first people to welcome my wife and me to Denton. Their warm and welcoming personalities made short work of establishing a friendly relationship. A number of years later, Bob sought me out when I joined the development staff at UNT because he had some very particular ideas about establishing several permanent endowment funds benefiting the university. Those who knew him will remember Bob as being very clear, very precise and very complete in any endeavor he undertook.

Over the last 20 or so years of his life we worked together closely to ensure that his and Virginia's wishes would be carried out in support of young men and women coming to UNT to study, learn and become well-educated citizens.

Bob and Virginia placed a high value on the permanent and positive impact of education on society and did all they could to ensure their legacy as lovers of students, lovers of teachers and lovers of education.

Theirs were lives of travel, of learning and of giving; UNT, the city of Denton and the many lives they touched are better because of Bob and Virginia.

Douglas Chadwick, former
UNT director of planned giving and UNT Foundation executive director
Aubrey