Dolores Carlee Vaughan Akins (’71 Ph.D.), Fort Worth. She taught Spanish in the Birdville and Hurst Euless Bedford ISDs and was a Professor Emeritus at Tarrant County College. A registered parliamentarian, she was past president of the Fort Worth chapter of the National Parliamentarian Association.

Patti Braker Balentine (’71), Denton. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and was managing editor of The Petroleum Accounting and Financial Management Journal in UNT’s Institute of Petroleum Accounting. She’d worked for the university since 1981. She loved cooking, traveling, theatre, poetry, music and animals.

Lanny Sparks Garner (’72), Panhandle. He was a nationally recognized certified track builder and worked in the industry for more than 30 years. In 2004, he retired as president of VibraWhirl, founded by his uncle Marvin Sparks (’48). At North Texas, he was a member of the football team and Lambda Chi Alpha. He and his wife, Ronda Roberts Garner (’72), enjoyed doing mission work.

William Warner ‘Bill’ Burge (’76), Fort Worth. He served in the U.S. Air Force for four years before earning his degree. From 1977 to 1993, he lived in Seattle, Wash., where he was a manufacturer’s representative in the orthopedic supply business. After returning to Fort Worth, he taught English at Brewer High School for several years. Most recently, he was an associate of Coldwell Banker Realtors.

Karen C. Janes (’80), Issaquah, Wash. She played and taught piano and double bass. She was the organizer and accompanist for the Northwest Recital Singers, principal bassist with the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra, president of Thalia Allied Artists and a member of numerous classical music organizations. She was an accompanist in more than 50 concerts a year and composed many songs published by Alberta Keys Publishers.

Ronald Charles Grafa (’85), Denton. He earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate and was a review appraiser for Countrywide.

Michael Edward Daly (’89, ’91 M.B.A.), Denton. He was a member of the U.S. Army Air Guard and was an airline pilot for 30 years. He worked for Braniff and Piedmont, and after retiring from U.S. Airways in 2007, he was employed with Southwest Airlines as a pilot trainee instructor.

Barbara R. Jones Cramond (’92), Davenport, Iowa. After raising her family, she returned to school and graduated from UNT at age 62. She earned her degree in clothing and textiles merchandising.

J. John Battaglia ('95), Lewisville :: He had worked as an inventory analyst at Michael’s for five years. At UNT, he was a Founding Father of Delta Chi fraternity and was president of its North Texas alumni chapter in 2007-08. He was a fan of the Dallas Stars and Dallas Cowboys, loved snowmobiling and enjoyed vacationing at Disney World with his wife.

Jennifer Leigh Acker (’95 M.S., ’08 M.P.A.), Farmers Branch :: She was the assistant director of the Manske Library in Farmers Branch. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University.