John Paul Eddy, 90, of Denton, Professor Emeritus of counseling, development and higher education in the College of Education, who taught at UNT from 1978 to 2000, died Dec. 6.

He took on the position after a lifetime of activism in the civil rights movement. In his early 20s, after receiving his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture at the University of Minnesota, he served as missionary in the Philippines and studied at the Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Along with his wife Betty, Dr. Eddy served as a campus minister with the Wesley Foundation, which led to his involvement with the civil rights movement – including hosting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his church and attending the March on Washington.

In 1965, Dr. Eddy pursued a career in higher education, earning a Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University. He taught at Johnson State College in Vermont, New Mexico Tech in Socorro and Loyola University in Chicago and served as an educational fellow at NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, before coming to UNT.

He was a frequent writer and speaker – producing nearly 40 books and more than 400 journal articles – and served as a mentor for doctoral students. He was a frequent traveler for professional conferences and made visits to former students. He co-wrote one textbook with a former student, Sang-Kil Kim (’90 Ph.D.) for South Korean universities. He received the Notable Achievement Award from the Association of Counselors and Educators in Government in 1998 for his work. During his retirement, he hosted a public access TV show, ran for local office and volunteered for the Salvation Army.