Sam V. Akins (’54), Bedford. A business major, he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After the war, he went on to serve as senior vice president at Dallas Federal Savings, founding officer of First American Savings and president of United Bank and Trust of Grapevine. He was active in his church. While at North Texas, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and belonged to the UNT Alumni Association’s board. He traveled to all 50 states and 16 countries. Akins was married to Malta Evans Akins (’54).

Todd S. Kisel (’89), Round Rock, earned a bachelor’s at UNT before working at Yellowstone National Park and, later, the Texas Association of Counties. He was an avid fly fisher and Dallas Cowboys fan.

Elaine Munch (’71), Dallas. A journalism graduate, she was an active alumna, donor and a member of the President's Council who bequeathed to the C.E. Shuford Endowment and the Mayborn School of Journalism Dean's Excellence Fund. She also contributed pieces from her wardrobe to the Texas Fashion Collection. A member of the Texas Tip Toppers social club for tall people, in 1971 she won the title of Miss Tall Texas and advanced to become Miss Tall Universe at the 25th annual convention of Tall Clubs International. She was a flight attendant for Braniff International Airlines and public relations director for Cooper Airmotive before joining Delta Air Lines. Elaine served on the board of directors for Garland Humane Society, the Humane Society of Greater Dallas, DFW Humane Society, Barn Cats, Inc. and Weimaraner Rescue. Also an animal activist, she helped found and was president of the Metroplex Animal Coalition. While serving on the City of Dallas Animal Shelter Commission, she helped launch a successful campaign funding the construction of a new, state-of-the-art animal shelter.

Thomas Frank Johnson (’72 Ed.D.), Bellville. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he worked in the counseling department at Richland Community College in Dallas after graduating from North Texas. He opened a private practice that specialized in child and adolescent patients before moving into the private sector and working in the treatment of alcoholism and post-acute physical rehabilitation of injured brains. He also studied the impact of nutrition on his patients.

Verna Hall (’55), Tyler. Awarded the UNT President’s Citation in 1992, she graduated from North Texas with a bachelor’s in business. She met her husband, George Hall (’53), in elementary school and they pursued their degrees together. Verna’s passion for learning carried into her career as a secretary in the legal field as well as the oil and gas industry. She immersed herself in philanthropic and volunteer efforts and was dedicated to supporting charities and arts organizations including the United Way of Smith County, which in 1993 awarded her the Alexis de Tocqueville Award, its most distinguished recognition for philanthropy. In 2014, the organization named its leadership giving program the Verna K. Hall Leadership Circle. She was also active with the East Texas Food Bank, the Tyler Museum of Art, the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and the Texas Rose Festival’s Order of the Rose.

Naomi Snyder (’65), Fort Worth. She married her husband, James Snyder (‘55, ’57 M.S.), in 1954 before graduating from North Texas with a degree in education. She taught at Worth Heights Elementary in Fort Worth and incorporated computers into her lessons early on. Naomi earned her master’s in education from Texas Wesleyan and taught in Bandera and Ingram before retiring in Colorado. An avid quilter, she was a charter member, treasurer and president of the Silver Threads Quilt Guild.

Roy Grisham (’81), 65, of Rhome, executive director of estate and planned giving at UNT, died April 16. He had worked in UNT Advancement since 2003.

A UNT business alum with a CPCU (chartered property casualty underwriter) designation, Roy had a successful career in insurance, risk management, finance and international business. In addition to his UNT work with estate gifts and planned gifts, he taught courses on estate planning and charitable giving at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNT. He’s remembered as an exceptional leader with a passion for his work and the university.

Survivors include his wife, Lisa Grisham.

A graveside service is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. May 11 at Thurmond-Fairview Cemetery, next to the Fairview Baptist Church, 969 Illinois St., Rhome.

Terry Barnett Davies ('74 M.S.), Ocala, Florida. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he served in the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1966. He spent 44 years in management positions at a pair of Fortune 500 companies. He was active in his local Masonic Lodge, church and community organizations and also was an avid sailor, reader and traveler. When visiting the Dallas area, he often stopped by the UNT campus to purchase T-shirts and was delighted whenever Mean Green football games were on television.

Dr. Andrew T. Armstrong II (’58, ’59 M.S.), Arlington, received his bachelor’s and master’s in chemistry from North Texas, where he met his wife, Kay Masters (’61). He later earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at Louisiana State University, where he also taught before studying at University of California, Los Angeles. He went on to teach at University of Texas at Arlington. In the mid-1970s, the couple analyzed fire debris samples for the Arlington Fire Department Arson Investigative Unit and later established a business called Armstrong Forensic Laboratory, which completed more than 20,000 cases. He wrote one of the first papers on the recovery of ignitable liquids from fire debris and is one of two individuals ever to receive the Arlington Fire Department’s White Helmet award, its highest civilian honor. He was named UNT’s 1992 Outstanding Alumni of the Year for Excellence in Chemistry. Andrew had three rules for life: Tell the truth; facts are facts; and “I don’t know” is a good answer.

Frederic 'Fred' Coffey, Jr., Denton, was a member of the President’s Council and an establishing donor of The Fred Coffey Scholarship and The Mark Graham Endowed Scholarship for Piano and Organ Students at UNT. He attended North Texas from 1948 to 1950, studying in the College of Arts and Sciences and serving as class president both years. He went on to complete his bachelor’s in economics at The University of Texas – Austin and earned a master’s in economics at Louisiana State University. After serving in the U.S. Marines, he had a distinguished career as a U.S. Foreign Service diplomat, directed the Voice of America broadcasting service’s Indonesia division and taught courses at National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Through the Organization of American States and Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, he served as an election monitor in a dozen nations before moving back to Denton in 2014. He was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Frederic Coffey (‘25).