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).
1940s HOMER B. JOHNSON (’49), Garland. He attended North Texas on a football scholarship and was a member of the Geezles. At age 20, he was assistant football coach for Garland ISD, then served in the Korean War before returning for a 68-year career in Garland ISD as head football coach and athletic director. In 1985, Garland ISD renamed its stadium after him.
1950s JAMES CURL (’51), Galveston. He served in the U.S. Navy, then studied business at North Texas, where he met his wife Elaine (’50) in the library. He kept a garden behind a white picket fence in the front of his home and walked his dog every day. JOHN WRIGHT JR. (’51), Dallas. He was a member of the Chilton Society and established the John and Topsy Wright Regents Graduate Scholarship with his wife, the late Topsy Roberson (’50), whom he met at North Texas. A practicing lawyer for 60 years, he was a three-term member of the Texas House of Representatives. ALTON H. PETTIT JR. (’53), Racine, Wisconsin. A World War II veteran, Alton served in the Army Air Forces. He worked for a variety of national and international firms. Survivors include his wife, Sophie Pettit (’53, ’54 M.S.), and son Alex (’14 Ph.D.).
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QUINCY ARMSTRONG (’54), Grandview. He played center position and linebacker from 1949 to 1951. In 1993, he was inducted into the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame. Quincy played pro football in Canada, then played for the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns. He later worked as a coach and administrator. While at UNT, he was a member of the Geezles. H.B. COX (’56), Houston. He was president of his junior and senior classes. He was a charter member of the Sigma Nu Zeta Omicron chapter. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Air Force. He had a 35-year career with Shell Oil Co, living in Brazil, Syria and other spots around the world. CHARLES E. COLE (’57), Santa Fe, New Mexico. After graduating from North Texas, he received his divinity degree from Yale and served as a pastor before spending his career as a writer and editor. He spent his life advocating for civil rights. LINDA YOUNG FARRINGTON (’57), Dallas, was a member of the President’s Council along with her husband, Jerry Farrington (’55), for their donations to UNT. They were married 63 years. Linda was a first-grade teacher in Midland. JAMES HAMPTON (’57), Trophy Club. He was an actor best known for his roles in F Troop, The Longest Yard, Teen Wolf and Sling Blade. He also had numerous TV show directing credits. At North Texas, he appeared in several
| northtexan.unt.edu | Spring 2022
plays and was a member of Kappa Alpha. He and his wife, Mary Deese-Hampton, co-wrote his memoir, What? And Give Up Show Business? CHARLIE JOE COLE JR. (’58), Denton. He played on the North Texas football team that brought racial integration to Texas football and was a member of the Geezles. He then served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He worked as a teacher, principal and superintendent for Pilot Point, Forestburg and Lake Dallas ISDs. Charlie established Adult Probation Services in Denton and Cooke counties. BILL DENSMORE (’58, ’69 M.S.), Dallas. He taught history, as well as photography and student leadership, in Dallas ISD for 37 years. His love for history extended to the Munger Place neighborhood in East Dallas where he grew up, and he wrote two books about it. During the Korean War, he was a U.S. Marines drill instructor. GASTON LEA WALKER (’58 M.Ed., ’73 Ed.D.), Hurst. He taught in Plano ISD, served as a teacher and principal in Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, and was a professor of sociology and psychology at Tarrant County Junior College until his retirement in 1994. DAVID H. WATKINS (’58), Terre Haute, Indiana. He attended North Texas be tween a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. Following graduation, he played with the Dallas Symphony for five years. After earning master’s and doctoral degrees in music at Indiana University, he taught at Indiana State University until 1997.
