Dr. Gladys Johnson Hildreth, 92, of Denton and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a former senior lecturer in UNT’s College of Education, died April 15.

Dr. Hildreth was a Certified Family Life Educator, and she taught and conducted research on family development and human relations throughout a higher education career that spanned more than 65 years. She taught at UNT from 2006 to 2015, and had also served as a department chair for the School of Human Ecology at LSU, where she was Professor Emeritus; as a chairperson for the School of Human Environmental Sciences’ Department of Family Studies at the University of Kentucky; and as a faculty member at TWU.

Dr. Hildreth was a Golden Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta and a member of the National Council on Family Relations. She published her first book, Leaving No One Behind, An African American Family’s Story of Achievement Through Education, at the age of 91. She was devoted to her faith and to her family, who say she believed that education was the answer to most problems. She also was known as an impeccable dresser and never lost a game of Scrabble.

She earned her bachelor’s degree at Southern University, her master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin and her doctoral degree at Michigan State University. 

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Dr. Bertina Hildreth Combes, who was vice provost for faculty success and professor of special education at UNT.

Memorials may be made to The Drs. Eddie and Gladys Hildreth Scholarship through the UNT Division of Advancement, 1155 Union Circle #311250, Denton, TX 76203-5017 or by calling 940-369-8200.