FRIENDS WE’LL MISS

unt alumni, FacultY, staFF and students are the university’s greatest legacy. When members of the Eagle family pass, they are remembered and their spirit lives on. Send information about deaths to the North Texan (see contact information on page 7).

1950s

JANE MCGINNIS RUSSELL (’50),

Monroe, Louisiana. She attended North Texas as a member of the Demonstration School and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in home economics with minors in music and art. She earned her master’s degree in education from Northeast Louisiana State University. She taught in Dallas schools and volunteered for the Monroe Symphony. She is preceded in death by her father Andrew Cleveland (1910), mother Jeffie Clayton McGinnis (1911) and brother Andrew Clayton McGinnis (’53). She was a member of the Matthews Society.

EDDIE JOHN DEES, SR. (’54), Santa Anna. He was a gifted pianist and arranger and led his band, The Eddie Dees Combo, in the 1960s and 1970s. He later earned his master’s degree in special education and his doctorate in pastoral counseling and worked as a school counselor in Texas for many years. A master of all trades, Eddie also started a home/business security company and renovated several of his homes. His wife Jatis P. Dees (’53), also a pianist and educator, preceded him in death in 2018. All three of their children — Layle, Eddie Jr. and Lynne (’75, ’80 M.F.A.) — attended UNT. LARRY MCMURTRY (’58), Archer City. One of America’s best-known authors of Western fiction, including contemporary Texas, McMurtry wrote more than 30 novels, as well as essay collections, memoirs, histories and screenplays. In 1961, he published his first book, Horseman Pass By, which became the movie Hud. One of his most famous works, Lonesome Dove, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1986 and the story later was adapted into a beloved TV miniseries. Other bestsellers include The Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment, which also were adapted into Oscar-winning films. He co-wrote the Brokeback Mountain screenplay, for which he shared a Golden Globe and an Oscar in 2006. In 2014, he received the National Humanities Medal and was honored at the White House. At North Texas, he wrote for the Avesta literary magazine. He won the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1986. His bookstore, Booked Up, was associated with UNT’s Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism’s Archer City Writers Workshop and writers were invited to meet with him at his home or at the store.

1960s

J. SCOTT HOLYFIELD (’60), Dallas. He was a certified public accountant, former treasurer of Braniff Airways, executive vice president of an independent oil and gas company, and owner of the Aw Shucks/Blue Goose restaurant group. A member of the President’s Council, he was a generous contributor to the G. Brint Ryan College of Business.

TONY GOOLSBY (’61), Dallas. He attended UNT after serving in the U.S. Army, graduating with a degree in elementary education. He ran a small insurance agency for more than 20 years in Dallas, and also worked as a teacher, coach, principal and pharmaceutical representative. Tony was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1988. He and his wife, Toppy, dedicated the Goolsby Chapel to UNT in 2001, and Tony created the AT&T Tony Goolsby Student Award Fund for UNT in 2004. Tony also was a member of the Kendall Society and a brother in UNT’s Delta Phi Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity.

CHARLES OXFORD (’60), Sulphur Springs. After graduating with a marketing degree, he served in the U.S. Army for two years. Charles worked at Lehn & Fink in New Jersey as the vice president of sales before moving to Arkansas and owning three businesses. He later moved back to Texas and served on the Sulphur Springs City Council. Charles donated generously

to UNT Athletics and other programs and was a member of the Matthews Society.

DERAL RAY SEGLER (’60), Port Arthur. He worked in education for 45 years, retiring in 2001, and owned Bridge City Driving School. In his free time, he enjoyed carpentry and hunting. He was a member of the UNT Alumni Association. He was preceded in death by his wife Elizabeth Segler (’60), who he met at North Texas.

MARGARET “PEGGY” LADENBERGER

(’61 M.Ed., ’70 Ph.D.), Dallas. She established The Merl Bonney Endowed Visiting Chair in Psychology at UNT and was a member of the Matthews Society. She had a lifelong passion for mental health, earning her doctorate in guidance and counseling from UNT and running her own psychology practice. She co-authored a weekly parenting column for The Dallas Morning News and taught a women’s empowerment class at Southern Methodist University’s School of Continuing Education. She also helped establish Suicide Prevention of Dallas in 1967.

LONA “DEENIE” JUDD (’62),

Shreveport, Louisiana. She taught at elementary schools and at the university level. Lona was active in many organizations and her church. She is preceded in death by her husband

Louis Judd (’56, ’76 M.B.A., ’80 Ph.D.).

BRENDA MARTIN GRAHAM (’63,

’69 M.Ed.), Marietta, Georgia. She taught in Denton and Dallas ISDs for 12 years. In her final year of teaching in Dallas, she was selected as Teacher of the Year at Stults Road Elementary School. She and her husband, Barry, then relocated to Georgia, where she taught school for one year, then raised her children before teaching again from 1993 to 1994. At North Texas, she was a member of Gamma Eta chapter of Alpha Phi. C.B. “BUCK” MAHANEY (’64), Plano. He was known for his bronze sculptures of wildlife that were featured in museums and the Southwest Gallery in Dallas. He also was a businessman and served on the Parker City Council. He was an avid hunter and traveler.

1970s

RICHARD FAULK (’74), Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He graduated from North Texas with a degree in music, then earned his law degree from Southern Methodist University. He had a successful legal career in Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C., and even argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. He composed music for his church and family. He and his wife, Candace, established The Richard and Candace Faulk Young Composers Fund to assist students studying composition and produce an annual Richard and Candace Faulk concert. They were members of the Chilton Society.

LAURA ANNE WIENTJES (’78), Rowlett. A music major, she enjoyed playing the piano, reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

1990s

KIMBERLY KAY WHITE PULLIN (’94),

Allen. She began her career as an educator with Dallas ISD and later became a human resource administrator and realtor. Kimberly was a member of Delta Sigma Theta. She was an avid volunteer and sports fan. She had suffered injuries as a result of a motor vehicle accident in 2013, but always retained a positive outlook. Survivors include her husband Ryan Pullin (’92).

2000s

DAVID FREEMAN (’03 M.Ed.), Corpus Christi. He was superintendent of Flour Bluff ISD since 2019. Prior to this position, he served as associate superintendent in Wichita Falls and superintendent in Montague and London ISDs. He started his career as a teacher, coach and administrator for Clear Creek, Woodville, Dallas, Keller, Muenster and Saint Jo ISDs.

2010s

RILEY GALE (’10), Dallas. He was the lead singer of the metal trash band Power Trip, which he formed in 2008 while a student. Power Trip went from a local DFW band to touring around the world and it earned a Grammy Award nomination this year. Riley earned his technical writing degree from UNT and always had a passion for writing.

ALEXANDRA PACE (’14), Denton. At UNT, she was a member of Phi Sigma Pi. She earned her master’s degree in applied sociology at the University of Texas at Dallas. She worked in digital marketing and was a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor.

2020s

NICHOLAS NATHANIEL SLAUGH-

TER, (’20), Prosper. He was set to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in business and served as a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He was described as “an amazing young man” who loved his family and friends while being an exemplary role model to his nieces and nephews and a source of support for others. As a high school student, he played football, a sport he loved.

ELIJAH CORTES, Denton. He was enrolled as a freshman and studying construction engineering in the College of Engineering.

FRIENDS WE’LL MISS

University Community

MICHAEL ABERNETHY, 63, of Little Elm, who had served as senior director of procurement services for the UNT System since 2016, died Dec. 9 in Grandview. He worked for universities as a director of purchasing and procurement for 27 years and served in the U.S. Air Force, including a stint during Desert Storm, for 12 years.

LINDA ALLMAND (’61), Fort Worth, who was a dedicated librarian for more than 40 years and taught as an adjunct professor at UNT in the 1990s, died Nov. 21. After earning her bachelor’s degree in library science and history from UNT and a master’s degree from the University of Denver, she worked in libraries in California, Dallas and Fort Worth. As director of the Fort Worth Public Library, she worked out a partnership with the Amon G. Carter Foundation and the city of Fort Worth to automate the library’s holdings — earning the title of the city’s female newsmaker of the year in 1984. She was the president of the Texas Library Association in 1987. At UNT, she was a member of the Chilton Society and established two funds for the College of Information, where she was a Hall of Fame Award recipient.

PAUL JACKSON COWAN, 93, of Denton, who taught science education at UNT from 1966 to 1987, died Nov. 3. As a professor and chair of the educational leadership division in the College of Education, Cowan emphasized “learning by doing” instead of textbooks for future science teachers. He previously taught at Hardin-Simmons University, where he had been hired to begin a new program in science education. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and a master’s degree from the University of Utah. In 1964, he completed a doctorate in science education at the University of Texas, the first awarded by the university in that field.

DAVID W. HARTMAN, 78, a Professor Emeritus, died Dec. 30 in Denton. He worked at UNT from 1992 to 2013, serving as an anthropology professor and associate dean of the School of Community Service — which under his leadership became the College of Public Affairs and Community Service and is today the College of Health and Public Service. While serving as dean from 1998 to 2006, he instituted new majors, oversaw growth of academic programs, worked to increase research and service collaborations with the community, and established scholarships that expanded diversity. He also helped develop online learning and the first addiction studies minor at a four-year university, and he established international academic programs for sociology and anthropology in Jerusalem, Israel and Mazamitla, Mexico. David received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology from Wichita State University and his doctorate in urban anthropology from Wayne State University, and taught at Wayne State and Virginia Commonwealth University before coming to North Texas. Memorial gifts may be given to the Libertad Hernandez Landa Scholarship that David established at UNT.

HELEN HUDSPETH, 83, of Forestburg, who was employed in Housing from 1985 to 1997, died Nov. 2. Before working at UNT, Helen served in the grocery store business for 20 years.

WALTER RAYMOND JONES, JR., 61, who served in various jobs at UNT from 2011 to 2016, died Oct. 29 in Dallas. He worked as a cook at Kerr Hall and in housing/custodial during his time at UNT. Known as “Old School” to friends, he enjoyed cooking, collecting watches and making people laugh.

CALVIN CLEAVE ‘JITTER’ NOLEN, of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, who saw enrollment increase and new campus buildings built during his tenure as university president from 1971 to 1979, died Aug. 13 at age 96. Enrollment rose 11% during his eight years in office, with the number of graduate students also increasing. The budget increased 66%. Major construction projects were completed, including Wooten Hall, the Art Building, the Coliseum, the General Academic Building and the Sullivant Visitor Center, now the Sullivant Public Safety Center. Additionally, the University Union was expanded, construction began on the Physical Education Building and a south wing was added to the Music Building. The School of Community Service, the Intensive English Language Institute and the computer science department were among the programs created during this time, and Hayden Fry was hired as football coach and athletic director — turning the Mean Green football team into a force in the 1970s. Research funding increased during Nolen’s tenure, with outside funding increasing 580%. There also was a new emphasis

on alumni activities. In 1975, legislation was signed placing the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth under the university’s Board of Regents and designating Nolen as president of TCOM. Before coming to North Texas, he served as vice chancellor for development at Texas Christian University. His selection as president of North Texas was considered controversial since he didn’t have a graduate degree. Even after Nolen left the university, he remained a popular figure, with the Council of Deans signing a letter that said he had “worked energetically and unceasingly for the transformation of the institution from a good one to a great one.” After leaving office, he served as vice president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation from 1979 to 1994 before moving to Colorado. Nolen, who received the nickname “Jitter” as a high school Boy Scout, was a member of the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1947. He retired from the Naval Reserve as a commander in 1989. He graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in educational psychology in 1948 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree (LL.D.) by Texas Christian University in 1971. He served as director of UT’s Student Center and on the UT System’s development board before moving to TCU in 1968.

EDITH O’DONNELL, 94, a generous philanthropist and strong proponent of education, died Nov. 14 in Dallas. She and her husband, Peter, donated generously to UNT programs, including the College of Visual Arts and Design Excellence Endowment and the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. In 1957, Edith and Peter established the O’Donnell Foundation and gave to numerous Dallas arts and educational organizations.

ROBERT PARKER, 82, of Tyler, a strong supporter of UNT, died Aug. 27 in Tyler. He and his wife, Frieda, donated to the A.M. Willis Endowed Scholarship Fund and were members of the Chilton Society. He served as a prominent lawyer and judge, reaching Circuit Judge on the First Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

DAVID HAROLD SAUNDERS (’76,

’86 D.M.A.), Eden Prairie, Minnesota. At North Texas, he was a graduate assistant to maestro Anshel Brusilow. He earned a doctorate in conducting, but translated his skills to working with people using technology. He founded the North Texas Youth Orchestra in the early 1980s. In New York, he was instrumental in getting New York City back online after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was a mentor and volunteer.

RICE TILLEY, 84, who served as a member of the Board of Regents for the UNT System from 2003 to 2009, died Oct. 28 in Fort Worth. He served in the U.S. Army for two years before beginning his 50-year career as an attorney. He was active in numerous Fort Worth organizations, serving as founder of Leadership Fort Worth and chairman of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.

G. ROLAND VELA, 93, of Denton, Professor Emeritus of biology whose long career included international recognition and the discovery of a bacterium, died Jan. 26. Vela joined the microbiology faculty in 1965 and went on to serve as associate dean of science and technology in the College of Arts and Sciences and become the first Latino professor to be awarded tenure at UNT. His research on bacterial physiology and nitrogen-fixing bacteria included discovering a bacterium that was named after him — Paenibacillus velaei. The bacterium is surrounded by a large capsule and its polysaccharide could be used in the food and pharmaceuticals industries. He also was a Fulbright lecturer, a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, an industry consultant, an expert witness and a textbook author. He wrote 75 scientific papers and lectured around the world. During his 35-year tenure at UNT, he supervised 20 doctoral students and 40 master’s students. He also was the first Hispanic member of the Denton City Council. He served on the Texas Municipal Power Agency and the Denton Airport Board. For his service, the G. Roland Vela Athletic Soccer Complex at North Lakes Park in Denton was named in his honor.

MEMORIALS

Send memorials to honor UNT alumni

and friends, made payable to the UNT Foundation, to University of North Texas, Division of University Advancement, 1155 Union Circle #311250, Denton, Texas 76203-5017. Indicate on your check the fund or area you wish to support. Or make secure gifts online at one.unt.edu/giving. For more information, email giving@unt.edu or call 940-565-2900.