Dolores Vann, 86, of Denton, a dedicated supporter of UNT students and a member of the President’s Council, died June 5. She and her husband, J. Don Vann, Professor Emeritus of English, established the Vann Victorian Endowment Fund in 2004 to purchase books for the Vann Victorian Collection in the UNT Libraries’ Special Collections. The couple began collecting Victorian books in 1962, and the Vann collection includes first editions of titles such as The Pickwick Papers and A Christmas Carol by Dickens and The History of Pendennis by Thackeray, as well as several Victorian periodicals Dickens edited.

Dolores graduated from Texas Christian University and pursued graduate studies at the University of North Carolina and Texas Tech. She taught high school English for several years before becoming a full-time mother.

She was an activist for the preservation of historic homes in Denton, spearheading the creation of the Oak-Hickory Historical District, and was honored with a recognition ceremony in which the mayor proclaimed July 1, 2014, as “Dolores Vann Day” in Denton. The Vanns welcomed many decades of UNT students to their historic home on Oak Street for class lectures, luncheons, teas, dinners, Homecoming parade viewings and Dickens Christmas celebrations.

The funeral will take place at 2 p.m. June 9 at the Mulkey-Bowles-Montgomery Funeral Home, 705 N. Locust St. in Denton.

Memorials may be made to the Vann Victorian Endowment, Willis Library, Office of the Dean, 1506 W. Highland St., Denton, TX 76203.