North Texan - UNT Magazine - Spring 2023

fown outside homes, waved at football games and hung on walls. It has traveled around the world with alumni and was even featured in the movie Necessary Roughness. But perhaps the 30- by 60-foot fag, which greets motorists on I-35, never looked betterthan on a November daywith the sun setting. — Photography by Leo Gonzalez

The UNT battle fag — created by Jim Hobdy (’69) in 1986 — is was better than day with

Mean Green SunSet

Breaking Barriers

Whether it’s teaching children with learning difculties how to communicate better or showing students that anyone can be a mathematician, UNT alumni are fnding innovative, interdisciplinary ways to bring access in all areas of society. “There is a solid business case for practicing inclusiveness: productivity,” says Raquel Daniels (’94, ’08 M.J.), vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion ofcer for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC).

Feeding People’s Dreams

FEA TURES contents 34

Djenaba Johnson-Jones (’93) built a kitchen incubator that is an example of the servant leadership she has displayed since she was a student in the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism.

BRILLIANTLY GREEN

UP FIRST P.9

Creating Possibilities / Promoting Diversity / Expert Take / Star Student

GIVING IMPACT P.16

Creating Pathways to Discovery / UNT Day at the Capitol Innovation P.18

INNOVATION P.18

Advanced Air Mobility / Bio-Based Solutions / Sweet Creativity / Advances in Hearing Loss

Future of Fashion

UNT faculty, students and alumni are thinking of ways to reshape the fashion industry from plant molecular biology to fashion design and merchandising.

MUSE P.22

Creative Climb / Books / Drawing the Forgotten / Essence of Music

MEAN GREEN P.28

Basketball / Softball / 2023 Mean Green Football Schedule

POWER OF PLACE P.46

UNT at Frisco branch campus opens

Where Are They Now?

As students, they worked to make the campus a better place. Years after they graduated, these leaders continue to make an impact on the world.

ONLINE

KEY TO CREATIVITY

Darren Bowden (’99) uses the skills he learned at UNT for his corporate job and musical passions.

A CAREER BY DESIGN

Theresa Neil’s (’05 M.B.A.) business creates user-friendly websites for big companies and has earned a place on the list of Inc.’s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies.

northtexan.unt.edu/online

EAGLES’ NEST

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS P.48 Artful Living / Legacy Family / Platform to Help Others / Mean Green Pride

RETROSPECTIVE P.55

The Super Pit celebrates 50 years as one of the campus’ most popular buildings

FRIENDS WE’LL MISS P.56

Obituaries

PERSPECTIVE P.60

Keith Shelton (’72 M.J.) remembers serving as an advisor to the North Texas Daily

MAKING UNT STRONGER

Focus on sudent success and career readiness makes UNT the school of choice

This year is just getting started, and we’re already seeing some incredible successes that are moving our university forward and making us a stronger institution.

Our spring enrollment was up more than 5 %, continuing our progress as the fastest-growing university in Texas. I’m also proud that we aren’t just getting students started on their journey but helping them to succeed through to graduation – and beyond. Our caring community helps ensure our students excel and fnd the career path that is right for them. We’ve helped more students cross the fnish line with a degree faster than before, and we’re working to keep costs low. We’ve seen a 26% increase in degrees awarded in the last 10 years, and 40% of those students are graduating with no debt, thanks to our focus on providing a high-quality and afordable education.

We also have had an incredible start at Frisco Landing, our frst permanent building at our UNT at Frisco branch campus, which ofcially opened in January to much fanfare (page 46). While this campus is an extension of Denton, we are striving to leverage the business and industry partners we’ve developed in Collin County to create innovative programs that bridge the gap between industry and higher education to ensure our students will be the best career-ready leaders possible.

I am truly excited to see so much progress happening at UNT. I remain committed to ensuring our university stands as a caring and forward-moving institution to learn and grow so that everyone has the opportunity to thrive and achieve their dreams.

UNT proud,

Neal Smatresk President president@unt.edu

@UNTPrez

UNIVERSITY BRAND

STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

LEADERSHIP SR. ASSOCIATE

VICE PRESIDENT KELLEY REESE (’95)

MAGAZINE STAFF

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

JULIE ELLIOTT PAYNE (’97)

INTERIM MANAGING EDITOR

JESSICA DELEÓN

EDITORS AMANDA FULLER

JILL KING (’93 M.S., ’00 M.A.)

HEATHER NOEL

ART DIRECTOR ANGILEE WILKERSON

DESIGN EDITOR

NOLA KEMP (’92)

PHOTO EDITOR GARY PAYNE (’99)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

JAN CLOUNTZ

HARSH SANGANI

ADVERTISING

SHELBY BAHNICK (‘17)

CHRISTOPHER KNAPP

DESIGNERS

ROBERT BRATCHER CLIFFTON CASTER

North Texan

PHOTOGRAPHERS LEO GONZALEZ

AHNA HUBNIK (’03)

VIDEOGRAPHERS

CARLOS MARQUEZ PAUL SLAVONIK

TIMOTHY STEVENS (‘13)

PAIGE THOMAS

WRITERS

SHELBY BAHNICK (‘17)

AMANDA FULLER

ROBYNE HENRY (‘21)

TRISTA MOXLEY

HEATHER NOEL

ALLICIA WASHINGTONWHITE

ALICIA ZARTMAN (‘22)

SOCIAL MEDIA

MELISA BROWN (’93, ’20 M.S.)

ROBYNE HENRY (’21)

ALICIA ZARTMAN (‘22)

ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS

JACOB KING

ERIC VANDERGRIFF

STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS

SKY ALLEN

PAIGE HEYL NABEELA IQBAL

MAECI RAY

CRISTINA SANDOVAL

ERIKAH WOODWORTH (‘22)

North Texan magazine (ISSN 0468-6659) is published two times a year by the University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #311070, Denton, Texas 76203-5017, for distribution to alumni and friends of the university. Periodicals postage paid at Denton, Texas, and at additional mailing ofces. The diverse views on matters of public interest presented in the North Texan do not necessarily refect the ofcial policies of the university. Publications staf can be reached at northtexan@ unt.edu or 940-565-2108.

Postmaster: Please send requests for changes of address, accompanied if possible by old address labels, to the University of North Texas, University Brand Strategy and Communications, 1155 Union Circle #311070, Denton, Texas 76203-5017.

The UNT System and the University of North Texas are the owners of all of their trademarks, service marks, trade names, slogans, graphic images and photography and they may not be used without permission.

The University of North Texas (UNT) prohibits discrimination and harassment because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law in its application and admission processes; educational programs and activities; employment policies, procedures, and processes; and university facilities. The university takes active measures to prevent such conduct and investigates and takes remedial action when appropriate. Direct questions or concerns to the equal opportunity ofce, 940-565-2759, or the dean of students, 940-565-2648. TTY access is available at 940-369-8652.

Created by the Division of University Brand Strategy and Communications ©2023 UNT UBSC 4/23 (23-214)

LOVE ON COURSE

My parents, Haymon (’55) and Beth Rosson Hankins (’54), met at North Texas and celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in 2022.

The frst day my mother arrived on campus a group of people were going to see the movie The Robe, starring Richard Burton. Someone had arranged a blind date between my mother and another East Texas native, Haymon Hankins. Because my mother had been busy since early morning packing and traveling, she ended up sleeping through the whole movie! In any event, my father was quite smitten with her and began a courtship.

After they got married on June 26, 1954, my dad got a job working in the Pro Shop on campus. He knew nothing about golf but his payment was a free room so it was a good deal for him that he was happy to have. The room was tiny, which wasn’t a problem, but upstairs right above the room was a jukebox where people danced almost every night so it wasn’t the ideal

accommodation. But it worked for them until my father got his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1955.

Turns out, my father has now golfed at more than 75 courses, so that Pro Shop job paid of richly for him!

Rhonda Hankins Albany, Oregon

FIFTY YEARS AGO

In September of 1968, I enrolled as a political science major at NTSU. I lived in the Fry Street Apartments, which in those days was an overfow “dorm” for freshmen who were required to live on campus but the on-campus dorms were full. My home for the frst two years was mostly flled with music majors, the most celebrated department on campus.

It was a good thing that I love music because at any given moment, 24/7, violins and trumpets and other combinations of musical instruments and voices of all sorts could be heard emanating through the walls of

our “dorm.” The sound was even purer coming through the pipes in the bathroom. It was the best entertainment in Denton. There was a smorgasbord of sound constantly coming through the walls, or while sitting on the “john!”

As a political science major who was involved in extracurricular activities such as the Model UN Club and the Young Democrats, I traveled to other schools and met folks from around the world. In my junior and senior years, I served as attorney general for the student body. For the Liberal Voice, a faculty-written underground newspaper, I served as the head of circulation. At 10 cents a copy, I hawked the monthly editions all over campus and Denton.

It was involvement in these arenas and in my classes that l met lifelong friends — some of whom, 50 years later, still continue to speak to me!

Walter Hinojosa (’72) Bella Vista, Arkansas

RIGHT ROUTE

I met my husband, Buddy, at UNT in 1988 after I had moved to an apartment the spring of my junior year. He was driving the campus shuttle bus I took to classes. The night before we met I had just completed a list I’d been working on and praying over for months: exactly what I wanted and exactly what I didn’t want in a husband. We knew by day three that we were meant for each other and we were married a year later. That was 33 years ago, and we still know that we each found our “One!”

Beth Gilliam Price (’89) Colorado Springs, Colorado

Left: Haymon (’55) and Beth Rosson Hankins (‘54) on their wedding day in 1954 and relaxing at home in 2022.

TASTY HOMEWORK

When my husband, Mark (’72), and I were students at North Texas, we used to race over to the Student Union Building, hoping there would still be some of their famous cofee cake available. Some days we were sadly disappointed because it was already sold out. I asked the professor in one of my food classes if there was any way we could get the recipe and make it ourselves. I have had this recipe in my fles for 50 years now and would like to share it with anyone else who loves their cofee cake. Enjoy!

NTSU SUB Cofee Cake

Cake: 1/2 cup shortening, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 2 cups four, 2 tsps. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 3/4 cup milk, 1 tsp. vanilla.

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and blend well. In separate bowl, mix four, baking powder and salt. Mix dry ingredients and milk into the shortening and sugar mixture. Spread into greased 8” by 8” baking dish. Spread 1/8 cup soft margarine on top and into spots into the dough.

Topping: 1/4 cup softened margarine (or butter), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon, 1/4 cup four.

Cream margarine and sugar. Add cinnamon and four. Crumble on top of the cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

TELL US ABOUT

@meangreennation Lunch time and my wife and I are both wearing green. Cashier: “Oh I love the green did you guys plan it?” Wife: “Yes. It’s Mean Green Friday. On Fridays we wear green.”

Editor’s note: Thanks for sharing this treasured recipe. We’ve printed a similar version since 1994, but it difers slightly in the preparation of the topping (northtexan.unt.edu/ issues/recipe-sweet-treat). We think this is a good excuse to try both!

We asked our UNT community “Tell us what you studied while on campus and what you’re doing now.” Here’s what some said.

Charlie Kenney

I graduated Fall 2013 with my bachelor’s in HR management. Since then I’ve been working in HR from Keurig Dr Pepper to GM Financial and at Jacobs Engineering Group where I am now working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a global mobility lead for a new project out here.

Anna C. Ashley

I attended UNT from 1989-1993 with a major in biology and minor in chemistry. I attended UTHSC-San Antonio for dental school. I’ve been practicing dentistry for 25 years and love it!

Nell Jackson

I graduated with a B.S. in audiology and speech-language pathology and got my master’s in communication disorders. I am currently an ASHA certifed speech-language pathologist working in a pediatric outpatient clinic in San Antonio! I love getting to know each of my kids and their families, along with helping them communicate and improve their feeding skills!

Jerrie Nuckolls King (’73) Franklin, Tennessee

It’s

frst day of college!!!

Anthony and I had a shortage of helping hands today. I told Anthony I could take Aurorah with me to class… My teacher was beyond accepting and very supportive. Aurorah walked herself up to the front of the classroom. My teacher

Proud to represent our school on #collegecolorsday

Is this Texan behavior?

3.

I love North Texas! (The fsh said “me too!” I heard them) #untalumni #untalum

Tomorrow I will walk and get my college degree and be the frst person in my family to do so. As I sit here and reminisce my whole entire college journey, I kept thinking of the amazing connections I have gained from my time in college.

1.

3.

2.

4.

1. @jlaft_

Aurorah’s

[Courtney Welch] picked her up and taught class.

2. @eliyoungband

@mitchi.909

4. @miinh.v

UNT at Frisco’s new campus opened to students with the start of spring classes at Frisco Landing.

Ofering courses across 27 degree programs, UNT at Frisco provides those in the Collin and Denton County areas convenient access to a high-quality educational experience that is the hallmark of a UNT degree.

Learn More: frisco.unt.edu

A new sculpture is gracing the west side lawn ofthe UNTArt Building. “Shadow Garden,” a 20-foot-tall, 7,000-pound work of art installed in October, was created by Matthew Ritchie, a New York-based artist known for his paintings and installations that draw from science, sociology, anthropology, mythology and the history of art.

of the UNT Art

Grant for UNT WISE

Creating Possibilities

Employers will be able to enhance their skills in recruiting, retaining and accommodating employees with disabilities thanks to a $12.7 million grant that UNT Workplace Inclusion & Sustainable Employment (UNT WISE) will implement in collaboration with the Texas Workforce Commission.

The fve-year grant, which is aimed at employers who use subminimum wage contracts, will create the Texas Beacons of Excellence (TBE) identifying local career opportunities; collaborating with public and private employers with Section 14C certifcates to adapt their business models to emphasize customized and supported employment arrangements; and creating

a pipeline from high school to competitive, integrated employment.

“This project aligns directly with our mission to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities by researching innovative best practices, training professionals in efective and ethical service and directly supporting the disability community,” says Lucy Gaford, director of UNT WISE.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration awarded the grant to the TWC’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services, which helps people with disabilities prepare for, fnd and retain employment, and assists youth and students preparing for postsecondary opportunities.

UNT WISE will provide training across communities and connect employers, selfadvocates, 14C facilities, educational staf and community rehabilitation providers.

Faculty/Staf News

New Appointments

Several colleges at UNT boast new leadership.

Audhesh Paswan is the dean of New College at UNT at Frisco. The marketing professor brings vast industry experience and eight years experience as associate dean of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business.

The new dean of the College of Science is John Quintanilla, who has served as a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics, associate dean for undergraduate studies and interim dean.

Albert Bimper will serve as executive dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences beginning July 1. He comes from Colorado State University, where he served in numerous positions.

TIME MAGAZINE RECOGNIZED InspectIR’s COVID-19 breathalyzer, which is FDA approved, as one of the 200 Best Inventions of 2022. The instrument was developed in the lab of UNT faculty researcher Guido Verbeck.

SAXOPHONIST AND COMPOSER BILLY HARPER (’65), pictured, who in 1964 was the frst Black member of the One O’Clock Lab Band, was featured in The New York Times for his 80th birthday. “It was a big thing to get in, though I hadn’t really thought about it back then,” he told the Times, adding that the other musicians “were open and warm, and the band was of the charts. After that, I was ready for anything.”

IN AN ARTICLE FOR VEGNEWS.COM, Peter Balabuch, executive director of dining services at UNT, discussed the importance of vegan food options. “Some students even choose to attend UNT because we have an all-vegan dining hall and lots of plant-based fare all over campus,” he says.

POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR KIMI KING was quoted in a USA Today article about a Pew Research Center survey that said voting was the No. 1 item in what makes a good member of society. “There’s a distinction [between] what people will tell you on a public opinion poll and then what they actually do in person,” she says.

Promoting Diversity

New Programs

UNT launched new programs to meet growing needs for workforce specialization.

For athletics fans, a Bachelor of Business Administration in sport entertainment management ofers students the skills to manage sport organizations by building sport brands, developing corporate partnerships, engaging fans and managing talent.

The PGA of America ofered its employees “Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access Essentials” training that was created by UNT’s Division of Digital Strategy and Innovation and UNT’s Division of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access.

Through this professional development, which is available to anyone via Coursera, PGA of America employees and professionals will have an opportunity to learn skills to create and support intentionally inclusive environments.

“We are thrilled that the PGA of America selected UNT to provide their community with online diversity, equity and inclusion training and thought leadership,” says Adam Fein, UNT’s vice president for digital strategy and innovation and chief digital ofcer.

“As a minority-majority, Tier One research institution, we are uniquely

positioned to partner and collaborate with the PGA on these essential topics.”

The four-module course includes activities, various forms of media and other interactive resources to help learners actively engage with the material and guide them through their own refection on DEI topics.

“This partnership ofers a great opportunity to provide learners across the globe with the skills needed to create more intentionally inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible environments. UNT is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all, and this new class is just one example of our eforts to promote diversity and equity on a larger scale,” says Joanne Woodard, UNT’s vice president for inclusion, diversity, equity and access.

The degree is housed in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, which also provides a new Doctor of Business Administration degree aimed at working professionals who are passionate about business leadership. It immerses students in industryfocused research problems that will enable them to stand out in their felds.

For students who are interested in music but lack formal training, the Bachelor of Arts in critical studies in music and society, housed in the College of Music, will train them to communicate about the feld to broad and diverse audiences and conduct research needed to answer the questions facing the industry today.

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK JOURNALISTS NAMED UNT THE STUDENT CHAPTER OF THE YEAR AT ITS CONVENTION IN LAS VEGAS IN 2022.

cultural connections through food

Read more about the food studies scholarship in UNT Research magazine. research.unt.edu/magazine/beyond-plate

Buttermilk and cornbread take UNT doctoral student Deah Berry-Mitchell back to childhood. Her grandmother would mush them together for the dish called Cush Cush and spoon-feed it to Berry-Mitchell and her cousins as she read Bible verses on their front porch.

“You can communicate so much through food,” Berry-Mitchell says.“On that front porch with my grandmother, I felt safe. That Cush Cush was like a hug that made me feel loved and all warmed inside.”

Food has helped Berry-Mitchell learn about her own culture as a Black American and, in recent years, she’s been sharing it with others as a food historian. Inspired by her own interests to experience the rich cultural history of her travel destinations, she started Soul of DFW in 2018 to lead bus tours immersing participants in local Black culture and history through food. She wrote the 2019 book Cornbread & Collard Greens: How West African Cuisine & Slavery Infuenced Soul Food and continues to write about history as a regular contributor to The Dallas Morning News

“Once you study history, you’ll see that there are a lot of threads connecting us in this large, beautiful quilt that we call America, so it’s exciting to be able to go back and unravel those threads,” she says.

Berry-Mitchell chose to pursue her Ph.D. in history at UNT because of its fourishing food studies program.

“This degree will help me grow as a historian and getting to have mentors like Dr. Jennifer Wallach, who is an established scholar of African American foodways, makes success in this feld feel a lot more attainable,” Berry-Mitchell says.

For her dissertation research, she is exploring the foodways of enslaved African Americans in Texas.

“Being a Black American, we have a pretty broken history as far as what’s been documented. A lot of us can’t trace our family roots back past a few centuries,” she says.“This is a way for me to not only add a bridge and connect with my ancestors, but also be able to pass that knowledge on to others who might be curious about it.”

— Heather Noel

EVENTS

The exhibition “It Gets Better, or It Doesn’t” — featuring a variety of media from Emmy Bright — runs until July 8 at the CVAD Gallery in Room 160 of the UNT Art Building. Learn more at news.cvad. unt.edu/galleries-emmy-bright-spring-2023 4

Spoken word poet Brandon Leake, a winner of America’s Got Talent, will perform as part of the Fine Arts Series. Get tickets at untuniontickets.com.

10

Actress and best-selling author Jennette McCurdy will speak at 7 p.m. at the UNT Coliseum as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series. Get tickets at untuniontickets.com

20-23 MAY 12-14

AUGUST 21

The Department of Dance and Theatre presents American Idiot, the musical inspired by the works of Green Day, at the University Theatre. Get tickets at unt.universitytickets.com.

A new set of graduates will take the stage for commencement. Find the schedule at commencement.unt.edu/ schedule.

The fall semester begins. If you have a student entering UNT, learn more about orientation programs at studentafairs.unt.edu/orientationand-transition-programs/programs/ orientation.

Talking Podcasts

Dan Franks (’08) was a full-time accountant who enjoyed talking to entrepreneurs about their work. He ended up making a podcast where he interviewed small business owners about “nerdy business and tax type stuf.” That led him to interact with other podcasters, and in 2014, he co-founded Podcast Movement, a company that hosts two annual conferences and trade shows, a daily newsletter and a website.

Franks is like thousands of others who’ve enjoyed making podcasts — which can run the gamut from daily news reports to niche interests. Thanks to UNT’s strong programs in the Department of Media Arts and Mayborn School of Journalism, many alumni are producing their own podcasts. It’s easier than ever since people can use simple equipment or record on Zoom. But there are other aspects potential podcasters need to think about.

“The way to stand out above others is not just to have a podcast, but it’s to have a good quality podcast,” Franks says.“So that means quality audio, but it also means quality of content. So not just does the audio sound good, but you’re telling a compelling story or talking to interesting people and crafting a show that’s exciting and interesting.”

Here, three members of the UNT community discuss best practices for creating a podcast.

DAN FRANKS (’08)

Co-founder and president of Podcast Movement

“Because there’s so many podcasts out there, you almost have to budget as much time for growing your show as you do creating it. If nobody knows it exists, maybe you don’t have an existing social media channel or you don’t have some sort of existing newsletter, you’ll need some other way to spread the word about it.”

JESSICA YAÑEZ (’08)

Mayborn School of Journalism graduate and host of “The Wine and Chisme Podcast”

“When it comes to fnding guests for your podcast, the most important thing is to fnd people you fnd genuinely interesting. If you talk to people who you aren’t interested in hearing from, that comes across in your conversation, and if you aren’t engaged, how can your listeners expect to be?”

BRENDA

JASKULSKE (’94 M.A.)

Principal lecturer in the Department of Media Arts, voiceover artist, podcaster, television producer, videographer and editor

“It is important to choose a topic in which you have a passion, with a diferent angle that makes your podcast stand out. You should also understand why you want to podcast. Do you want to monetize your podcast for income, garner a certain amount of subscribers or do you just want to have fun with your friends putting something together?”

If John Quiñones came to campus, what would you do? Hundreds of students chose to fll the University Union Lyceum, giving a rock star welcome to the ABC journalist and host of What Would You Do?, who spoke in September in the frst IDEA Speaker Series presentation. (Photo by Ahna Hubnik)

A packed audience was enthralled when the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis performed at the Murchison Performing Arts Center in November. Marsalis received a citation from UNT President Neal Smatresk for his role in shaping jazz music. The orchestra also taught master classes to students in the College of Music, which sponsored the event with the Fine Arts Series.

(Photo by Michael Clements)

When campus shut down this winter due to an ice storm, students took the opportunity to go sledding — using some innovative items such as cardboard and storage bins. (Photo by Andrew Irby)

CREATING PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY

Niki Dash’s journey to become dean of UNT’s College of Health and Public Service began when her mother, who did not attend college herself, opened the door to higher education. Now, Dash and her husband, Carlos Armas, have created the Marsha Dash Study Abroad Endowed Scholarship to honor Dash’s mother and ofer life-changing experiences to frst-generation college students.

When Dash thinks about her childhood, she recalls how hard her mother worked as a single parent so her three children would discover they could accomplish anything. Although Marsha, who passed away in 2019, did not have the fnancial resources to pay for Dash and her siblings’ college tuition, she taught them that education was a way to change the trajectory of their lives.

“She told us from very young ages that education was the pathway to a diferent future than she had,” Dash says. “She taught us that we could overcome barriers and accomplish whatever we set our minds to achieve.”

As a college student, Dash worked to support herself, but her mother pushed her to learn how to navigate the waters of fnancial aid and scholarships. Marsha also sent care packages flled with homemade cookies and ramen soup, did her children’s laundry when they visited home and gave them the tools to be successful — like encouraging their drive to do more and be everything they wanted to be.

That support led Dash to pursue graduate school, inspired by a desire to understand the efect of destruction from Hurricane Andrew on fellow residents of Miami. She then put her skills to work through a brief career in emergency management with FEMA, but her passion for research on how disasters impact communities led her to her true calling — earning a Ph.D. so she could translate her enthusiasm to academia.

Later in life, Marsha’s children found ways to thank her for the paths she cleared and doors she opened for them. Notably, Dash’s brother, who works in the cruise industry, few Marsha to Switzerland and took her on an adventure aboard one of his company’s ships.

Leaving the United States for the frst time and experiencing other cultures had a major impact on Marsha.

“It was an experience she talked about often. I was inspired by her excitement and have spent a lot of time thinking about how life-changing experiences like international travel are out of reach for those with fewer fnancial resources,” Dash says.

It’s easy to understand why, when Dash wondered how to honor Marsha’s life, she saw study abroad scholarships as a place where her own life’s work connected with her mother’s commitment to education and excitement for the little travel she was able to experience in her life.

As a dean at UNT, Dash has a unique perspective on the impact that scholarships have on students’ lives. A study abroad scholarship will not only celebrate her mother’s legacy, but it also will let students who might otherwise have limited access see the world in diferent ways.

For Dash, this scholarship is about expanding opportunities for students facing fnancial obstacles and giving them a broader, more global connection through travel.

“My biggest hope is that students get a view of diferent cultures and that being able to take advantage of a study abroad opportunity helps open their perspective to all the variations that are out there in the world,” Dash says.

Niki Dash, dean of the College of Health and Public Service, with her late mother, Marsha.

Dash is excited about the ways in which study abroad programs teach students more about their felds of study. Like other colleges at UNT, the College of Health and Public Service ofers service-oriented study abroad opportunities that allow students to explore their discipline in diferent contexts — like studying social work in England, criminal justice and addiction studies in Portugal or evacuations and emergency communications in South America. These enriched academic experiences enable students to see the world through a wider lens.

“As someone who studies disasters, I know them really well in this Americanized context,” Dash says. “I know how the federal government works with disasters, but I want students to see how that might work in a country that doesn’t have the same resources or governmental structures. I want them to go in, develop that context, tie it to their degree and then take that with them into their future careers.”

Dash knows that sometimes, in the moment, students can’t see how what they’re doing outside of the classroom has a long-term efect on how they see the world, but she hopes giving access to study abroad programs will encourage more students to imagine themselves in places and situations they might not have otherwise.

“I’m glad I ended up where I am, but who knows the other pathways of discovery I would have had if I had been able to take advantage of something like study abroad,” Dash says.

-Amanda Yanowski

UNT Day at the Capitol

Supporters painted Austin Mean Green as they spoke to state legislators in support of a variety of research projects.

On a warm February day in Austin, more than 100 UNT students, alumni and friends turned the halls of the Texas State Capitol Mean Green and advocated for continued support of the university.

A relatively new tradition, UNT Day at the Capitol was created by the UNT Alumni Association during the 2019 legislative session and continued in 2021 with a letter-writing campaign. In 2023, the association returned to the Capitol with groups organized to visit every legislator to ask for support of UNT’s legislative appropriations requests.

Requests included support for the Center for Integrated Intelligent Mobility Systems, along with fagship equity that would allow UNT to support high-impact programs, services and research best suited to meet the needs of students, Texas employers and the state’s evolving economy.

Senior design management major Madalyn Hernandez spoke highly of the experience.

“It was such an amazing opportunity to advocate for UNT alongside fellow students and alumni,” Hernandez says. “I had a great time and got to meet so many people.”

The day, which also saw performances from UNT’s Two O’Clock Lab Band and Mariachi Aguilas, was inspiring for alumni, including Sarah Wagner (’89), chair of the UNT Alumni Association Board of Directors.

“I’m so impressed by our students,” Wagner says. “They were articulate, confdent and knowledgeable. Our legislators heard frsthand the impact UNT has on our Texas economies and communities through heartfelt stories and experiences.”

Read the new issue of UNT Research magazine. research.unt.edu/magazine

Advanced AirMobility

UNT, industry partners collaborating on future of transportation.

UNT and its partners took a step toward next generation air travel in Octoberwith a successful live test fight of emerging Advanced Air Mobility technologies including future airspace system automation, advanced communications infrastructure, a surrogate electric Vertical Take-Of and Landing aircraft and a simulated air route between Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Flight Test Center in Justin and UNT’s Discovery Park in Denton.As part of the Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign Project, the exercise involved the work of 15 entities including NASA as well as Bell Textron, Unmanned Experts Inc.,AAMTEX, Hillwood and the Federal Aviation Administration. UNT’s portion of the research is part of its Center for Integrated Intelligent Mobility Systems (CIIMS).

CHECK OUT UNT’S AMAZING NEW YOUTUBE SERIES, THE LAB, WHERE RESEARCHERS BREAK DOWN HOW THEIR RESEARCH IN SCIENCE, ART AND TECHNOLOGY IS REVOLUTIONIZING OUR EVERYDAY LIFE.

The director of the UNT Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program in Chile, on discovering a new terrestrial bird species, Subantarctic Rayadito (Aphrastura subantarctica), along with UNT alumnus Ramiro Crego (’17 Ph.D.) and a team of international collaborators in the Diego Ramírez Archipelago.

BIO-BASED SOLUTIONS

College of Science assistant professor Calvin Henard (above) earned a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation and the Agile BioFoundry, a consortium of national laboratories committed to accelerating biomanufacturing.

His work will further study developing a methanotroph that can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by eating carbon dioxide and methane. The project will create more advanced genetic tools that will reduce the genetic modifcation time of methanotrophs from months to a matter of weeks.

The proposal was one of only six selected nationwide for this inaugural funding opportunity. The research is part of UNT’s BioDiscovery Institute, which includes an interdisciplinary team of researchers focused on developing innovative bio-based solutions.

SWEET CREATIVITY

Research published by Lidan Xu, assistant professor of marketing, and her co-authors in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes shows that just a taste of something sweet can boost your creativity.

It’s not due to a sugar rush to the brain, but is related instead to the positive experiences people tend to associate with a sweet taste.

“We often associate sweet things with a positive and safe environment,” Xu says. “When we are in this environment, we are more willing to take risks.”

Xu says this research is a frst step in understanding how people’s food choices can infuence their thoughts and behavior, which could be valuable knowledge for employers to use in boosting innovation in their companies.

“This discovery is a great expression of what international collaboration can bring.”

— Ricardo Rozzi

Indusrial Assessment

UNT is helping regional manufacturers bring more efectiveness and sustainability to their operations as the frst university in the North Texas region to join the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Assessment Center program.The UNT Industrial Assessment Center (UNTIAC) housed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Discovery Park is funded through a $1.75 million U.S. Department of Energy grant that will be eligible for renewal every fve years. In addition to providing assessments and conducting research in the energy and manufacturing areas, the center also will involve students in conducting its work, training the next generation of engineers and leaders in these areas. UNTIAC complements the existing Center forAgile and Adaptive Additive Manufacturing at the university.

Advances in Hearing Loss

Researchers in UNT’s Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology in the College of Health and Public Service are working to understand how factors such as emotions,psychological wellbeing, social relationships and stress impact whether adults continue to use hearing aids once they’re purchased. The study by Erin Schafer, Sharon Miller and Boji Lam — supported by a grant from the Hearing Industry Research Consortium — includes 40 participants, between the ages of 50 and 85,who purchased hearing aids from the UNT Speech and Hearing Center.

Separately, Miller took part in the research of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Analysis,which led the federal agency to update its cochlear implant candidacy criteria and provide coverage for a broader spectrum of hearing loss.

Research Roundup

Equity in Engineering: Nandika D’Souza, Regents Professor and associate dean in the College of Engineering, is serving as lead principal investigator on an $800,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to UNT and North Central Texas College to create more opportunities for Latino/a students and communities in engineering. The program will incorporate community building, networking, academic assistance and career coaching to create research-informed institutional change.

Adding Agritourism: With more than $245,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism will add oferings in research and an academic course focused on the growing agritourism industry. The funding is part of the USDA’s $14 million overall investment to advance learning experiences in the agricultural and human science sectors at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Diversity in Science: Faculty in the College of Science earned two diferent grants aimed at increasing the diversity of students pursuing studies in the sciences. Funded by a $75,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant, chemistryfaculty members MollyAtkinson, Adriana Corrales and Rebecca Weber are studying ways to build more equitable educational pathways in chemistryfor underserved communities. Physics faculty members Yuan Li and Ohad Shemmer are collaborating with facultyfrom the University ofTexas at Dallas to launch a post-baccalaureate bridge program and organize monthly colloquia and annual symposia to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in astronomy.

UNT faculty and alumni shared their ideas and inspired the audience to make a difference in the world at the TEDxUNT: This Way Forward event last September. From encouraging and inspiring us to open ourselves to the joys of passionate creativity in deciding what to be when we grow up to educating us on the future of aerial transportation development, UNT students, faculty, staff and alumni were encouraged to be more curious and creative when problemsolving, to think bigger than we have before and to continue pressing forward on our next adventures.

Watch videos

at TEDx UNT.org and read more

about the emcee and speakers.

Andrew Colombo-Dougovito Angel Durr Jameelah Ra’oof James Thurman

Tania

Heap

Jordan Thurston Kamesh Namuduri Okan Yaşarlar Scott Tixier

Rudy Reynoso Emcee

Creative Climb

Sculpture professor installs temporary art on Mount Kilimanjaro

Alicia Eggert’s art has reached new heights, literally. In October, the UNT sculpture professor and interdisciplinary artist climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. At each campsite during the weeklong trek, she temporarily installed one of her newest light sculptures, “You are (on) a mountain.” The neon sign, which is 8 feet by 8 feet, illuminates green while alternating between the phrases “You are on a mountain” and “You are a mountain.”

“It really did feel like we were becoming part of the mountain, which is the concept behind the sign,” Eggert says. “We were eating the food, drinking the water and breathing the air — being sustained by the mountain.”

To continue the project, Eggert will use photos and video with interviews from locals captured during the Kilimanjaro trip as part of an upcoming exhibition. She also plans to bring the artwork to other mountains in the future to raise awareness about environmental stewardship.

Read more about Eggert’s trip and plans to expand her art to other peaks around the world. northtexan.unt.edu/creative-climb

Photo by Wesley Kirk of Vision & Verve

WHEN I SAW ALL FOUR OF THEM SPINNING THEIR CHAIRS AROUND, I WAS LIKE ‘THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING FOR ME.’ IT WAS LIKE, ‘OK, I’M REALLY HERE, LIKE I FINALLY MADE IT.’”

— Kevin Hawkins, who attended the College of Music from 2012 to 2013,

on his outstanding performance on The Voice.

Books

Our Sister Who Will Not Die

Grammy News

Alumni recognized at music’s biggest event.

Read more about Bernard’s writing process. northtexan.unt.edu/ rebecca-bernard

When Rebecca Bernard (’21 Ph.D.) taught at a men’s prison in Kentucky, it inspired her to write the stories that make up the book Our Sister Who Will Not Die. Bernard worked on the stories while in the creative writing and fction program at UNT, and her dissertation was a novel with the working title In the Way of Family. She seeks to fnd the humanity in everyone. “For anyone, writing is a way toward advocating for yourself,” she says. “I think we understand ourselves more deeply by writing about our lives.”

UNT alumni won big at the Grammy Awards in February. Latonia Moore, a College of Music student in the 1990s, won for Best Opera Recording for the Metropolitan Opera production of Fire Shut Up In My Bones. Snarky Puppy, which was founded when some of its members attended UNT, took home its ffth Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for its album Empire Central.

Other nominees included Jef Cofn (’90), Norah Jones, Maren Morris, Tobe Nwigwe and faculty members Philip Dizack and Rosana Eckert (’95,’99 M.M.). Jack Eaddy Jr. (’19 D.M.A.), director of athletic bands at Western Carolina University, was a fnalist for Music Educator of the Year. Also nominated was Vaughn Faison (’19 M.M.), pictured, a member of the group Kings Return that was up for the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella category for their song “How Deep Is Your Love?” Faison says performing with the group can almost be transcendental.

Journey without End: Migration from the Global South through the Americas

Andrew Nelson

The associate professor of anthropology co-wrote this book that depicts the arduous journeys global migrants undertake through North and South America.

The People’s Hotel: Working for Justice in Argentina

Katherine Sobering

Workers transform a Buenos Aires hotel into a worker cooperative in this book by an assistant professor of sociology who was a volunteer worker there.

Before Lawrence v. Texas: The Making of a Queer Social Movement

Wesley Phelps (’00, ’04 M.A.)

The associate professor of history explores the struggles and triumphs of gays and lesbians in their decades-long campaign that led to the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

“We’re really doing something that means something to people,” he says. Read

THE WORKS OF BOB DOROUGH (’49) WERE CELEBRATED WITH THE SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK! 50TH ANNIVERSARY SINGALONG. DOROUGH, WHOSE TUNES INCLUDE “THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER” AND “CONJUNCTION JUNCTION,” WAS THE SHOW’S MUSICAL DIRECTOR FROM 1973 TO 1985.

Deep Connecions

As a student in the College of Music, Allison Ponthier wrote her frst song, “I Do,” while hanging out in her dorm room at Bruce Hall.

She says it wasn’t very good, but now her songwriting is getting major recognition. Ponthier, who attended UNT from 2015 to 2017, has released two EPs, Faking My Own Death and Shaking Hands with Elvis, which tackle her struggles with anxiety and ADHD — and resulted in performances on The Tonight Show and features in Glamour, Rolling Stone and other publications.

Drawing the Forgotten

Alumnus depicts faces of day laborers and immigrants.

Adrian Aguirre (’09 M.F.A.) likes to draw people whose stories are untold.

He found Alcalá, who was the de facto leader of the Denton day labor gathering place, full of charisma and stories — everybody liked to talk to him. At an immigrant center, he ran into Gisele, who put up a strong persona to protect herself. And then there was a guy from Tijuana who was so happy with his portrait that he showed the drawing, which Aguirre gave to him, to his girlfriend. Aguirre — who grew up in Juarez, Mexico, and went to school in El Paso — is getting attention for his work, with features in Western Art & Architecture and being named one of the “12 New Mexico Artists to Know Now” by Southwest Contemporary. Aguirre would eventually like to see his work exhibited at museums. But he’s often satisfed with the work itself.

“Sometimes you get on a roll,” he says. “You kind of lose yourself. You’re focused on painting. It’s not necessarily relaxing, but it’s a good experience.”

Read more about Aguirre’s interactions with his subjects. northtexan.unt.edu/drawing-the-forgotten

Changing Minds

Her honesty has resulted in deep connections with her audiences, such as when she talked to her fans at her frst two headlining shows in New York City and Los Angeles.

“Even though some of them were anxious or maybe shy, like all of them were so polite and kind and sweet, and I’ve even had other people who work at venues come and tell me,‘Your fans are especiallyvery nice,’” she says.“So what I’m learning is that the type of music you put out really does attract the type of fan that you want.”

Learn more: northtexan.unt.edu/ deep-connections

Growing up Nigerian American, Mercedes Ezeji (’19) would often visit Nigeria. When she came back home, she received a lot of questions from her peers about her travels.

Ezeji decided she wanted people to know more about the world — and she honed her skills with a degree from the Mayborn School of Journalism. She now is an engagement manager at PBS and a production assistant on the “On Our Minds” podcast that recently won the Edward R. Murrow Award. “On Our Minds” is a student-led and produced podcast about the mental health challenges that young people face today.

Ezeji plans on expanding her position as a producer and working on documentaries that highlight underrepresented communities. She hopes that, through her work, she can dispel cultural myths while making content that people can enjoy and learn from — which is the reason she got into journalism.

“I would love to break a lot of people outside the box. I think people are just ignorant about a lot of things because they are not exposed to much. I want to change that.”

Learn more: northtexan.unt.edu/ changing-minds

The Essence of Music

Teacher Annie Ray starts orchestra for students with intellectual disabilities.

Music has been a part of Annie Ray’s (’17) life since she took up the piano at age 3 and the harp at age 5. Her mother, Stacy King Lehman (’85), a pianist, guided her through her journey. Ray met her husband — Irving Ray (’12 M.M., ’17 D.M.A.), a euphonium player for the prestigious U.S. Army Band Pershing’s Own — at one of her performances.

To Ray, music was a way to create relationships and bring everyone together. Now as a teacher, she’s making sure others get the same experience. She began an orchestra for students with intellectual disabilities at the suburban Virginian school district where she works, which was featured in The Washington Post, and she gave the TEDx talk “The Sounds of Success” earlier this year.

The orchestra has not only brought joy to the students, but it’s changed Ray’s perspective on how she sees music.

“We always say music is the universal language and it is in a way, but musicking — or the act of making music — is the true unifer,” she says. “It’s easy to get caught up in perfection versus the music side of it. It taught me the essence of music. It gave me freedom.”

From Print to Screen

Alum’s novels about Bass Reeves turned into TV show.

Learn more about how Ray formed the orchestra. northtexan.unt.edu/essence-music

In the late 2000s, Sidney Thompson (’15 Ph.D.) was living in south Alabama, working a variety of jobs — although he really wanted to make a living as a writer. Then he learned about Bass Reeves, the former enslaved man-turned-lawman who captured 3,000 criminals around Oklahoma and Arkansas and inspired the character of the “Lone Ranger.”

Thompson found the perfect subject for a novel. UNT was the ideal place for him to work on the manuscript since Denton was near where Reeves lived. After Thompson spent a dozen years writing three novels about Reeves — Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves; Hell on the Border; and the upcoming The Forsaken and the Dead they now will be adapted into a spinof series of the drama Yellowstone starring David Oyelowo (Selma). Thompson took courses in 1800s literature to absorb the language of the time and classes in African American history to inform the slavery narrative. He also learned about weapons used during this time and the history of the Wild West.

“Being older, I’m just glad I had a plan and everything led me in this direction,” he says. “It’s crazy luck, hard work and planning, but it took a lot of patience that I never used to have. Sometimes life requires you to have the skills to be patient.”

Read more about Thompson’s education at UNT. northtexan.unt.edu/print-screen

FEEDING PEOPLE’S DREAMS

DJENABA JOHNSON-JONES’ (’93) VISION FOR SMALL FOOD BUSINESSES EARNED HER A MAJOR AWARD. BUT IT TOOK PLENTY OF

GRIT AND DETERMINATION.

Story by Jessica DeLeón | Photo by Katelyn Perry

Djenaba Johnson-Jones (’93) knew that starting her own business would be a daunting task.

“It’s kind of a blur right now,” she says. “I remember waking up every morning, saying, ‘You can do this. You can do this.’ It was crazy. I had to fgure out how I was going to make my dream come true.”

She’s done it. She founded Hudson Kitchen, an incubator for small food businesses in Kearny, New Jersey, just outside of Manhattan. She recently won $100,000 from the Essence + Pine-Sol Build Your Legacy Contest, which is awarded to an outstanding Black female entrepreneur.

Getting there took years of hard work, but the kitchen helped her and many others achieve their goals.

Christy Crutsinger, professor in UNT’s Department of Merchandising and Digital Retailing who taught Johnson-Jones when she was a student, visited the kitchen and was impressed not only by its state-of-the-art equipment and presentation, but also by its mission.

At the time, New Jersey didn’t allow certain foods that were made in personal kitchens to be sold to the public.

Johnson-Jones began her research. She learned New Jersey only had six shared commercial kitchens despite its large population. Food entrepreneurs used church kitchens or restaurants during closed hours, and she wanted to create a space where entrepreneurs could work with little risk.

“I decided I wanted to build my own kitchen,” she says. “I found it to be way more exciting than a ftness business.”

Drawing on her corporate experience, Johnson-Jones began to host a series of events to gauge interest in her idea and help others launch their own businesses. She hosted a networking event in 2016 that attracted 75 people. She organized similar events every quarter and wrote a workshop covering the 10 steps in starting a food business in New Jersey. More than 30 people attended an event about starting businesses at a local community college. When she expanded the workshop to the Food Business Bootcamp, a course that teaches aspiring entrepreneurs how to create a solid business plan and prepare to sell their culinary creations in a retail environment, it attracted more than 300 people. She then brought along 60 letters of interest when she pitched her idea to a bank.

“We’re on to something,” she thought.

“The kitchen is frst class,” Crutsinger says. “It’s innovative and is giving an opportunity for a lot of individuals to get a jump-start on their business without an investment — an example of her servant leadership approach.”

The business started of after Johnson-Jones turned some bad luck into an opportunity. As a student at UNT, she served as president of Merchandising Inc., the student organization for students interested in fashion, home furnishings and digital retailing. She graduated with a degree in fashion merchandising from the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, then worked as a buyer for the defunct County Seat Stores in Dallas. She then earned an M.B.A. from Clark Atlanta University, so she could pursue a career in magazine publishing.

Beginning in 1999, she was working in her dream industry digital marketing for various fashion publications, including Conde Nast. But in 2014, she was laid of.

Johnson-Jones considered it a blessing in disguise.

She always wanted to start a ftness business. After obtaining her trainer certifcation, she was thinking about adding a food delivery service — until she hit a snag.

In late 2019, Hudson Kitchen opened in an 8,000-square-foot location that provides production and storage space to businesses that pay a monthly membership fee. Then a few months later, COVID-19 shut down the world. But not the kitchen. It grew during the pandemic, as small businesses pivoted to e-commerce and packaged their food.

In the frst two years, the businesses that worked at Hudson Kitchen generated $9 million in revenue and created 58 jobs. For the Essence contest, she wrote a business plan and investment deck, and was one of three fnalists out of 400 entrants. She and her daughter spent the month of June sending direct messages to all her contacts — some going as far back as 30 years — in her social media accounts.

That tenacity won her the most votes for the contest. She plans to use the money to turn her fex space into a bakery that will include roll-in ovens, mixers and a second dishwashing area.

But besides helping others realize their dreams, there’s one other fun aspect to her business.

“I get to eat a lot,” she says. “Whatever people feed me, I’ll eat it.”

“It’s innovative and is giving an opportunity for a lot of individuals to get a jump-start on their business without an investment — an example of her servant leadership approach.”

Courting Records

Mean Green basketball teams net tournament berth and other accolades for this season’s performance

The North Texas men’s basketball team captured a spot in the 2023 National Invitation Tournament, capping of a season in which they racked up 26 wins — the most regular season victories in program history.

In a frst, the team made a national postseason tournament for the third year in a row. They also boasted the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense at 55.4 points.

Junior guard Tylor Perry

(pictured below with

the Mean Green Maniacs) was named Conference USA Player of the Year and earned spots on the Conference USA First Team All-Conference and C-USA All-Tournament Teams. Senior guard Kai Huntsberry snagged the title of C-USA New- comer of the Year.

Junior guard Rubin Jones took a place in the C-USA All-Defensive Team. Junior

forward Abou Ousmane was named to the third-team all-conference.

In women’s basketball, junior Quincy Noble was named for the third time to the All-Conference Team, becoming only the second UNT player to earn that distinction. With an average of 17.1 points per game, she was the third highest scoring player in C-USA.

Check out more sports news. meangreensports.com

Softball Fields Great Success

The softball team made their pitch as one of the top teams in Conference USA and in the nation.

The team earned a spot in the D1 Softball Preseason Top 25 — a frst for the team, which came in at No. 24.

Junior frst baseman Kailey Gamble set a UNT record by reaching 10 home runs in the fewest number of games. She accomplished the feat in 19 games, eclipsing the previous mark of 26 games set by Kelli Schkade (’17) in 2016 and Taylor Schoblocher (’16) in 2015.

Last year, the team appeared for the frst time in the NCAA Regionals and won their frst Conference USA Tournament championship.

Women’s Golf Breaks Records

The women’s golf team, led by graduate student Audrey Tan (’22), put in a record-breaking performance at the ICON Invitational tournament at the Golf Club of Houston in February. Tan broke her own 54-hole scoring record, earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors. The team, ranked No. 50 in the Golfstat poll, came in second place, defeating 10 teams ranked higher.

In other golf news, Sandra Palmer (’63) is scheduled to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame this June. Palmer racked up 19 victories during her 30-year career on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour.

By the Numbers

Well, 58-03.75 feet, to be precise, is the distance freshman KeAyla Dove covered in the shot put, a Mean Green record. She competed in the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in March and was runner-up in the Conference USA Indoor Championships in February. Also at the meet, freshman Marta Sivina won the women’s pentathlon.

2023 MEAN GREEN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

SEPT. 2 vs. CAL

SEPT. 9 at FIU

SEPT. 16 at LA TECH

SEPT. 30 vs. ACU

OCT. 7 at NAVY

OCT. 14 vs. TEMPLE

OCT. 21 at TULANE

OCT. 28 vs. MEMPHIS

NOV. 4 vs. UTSA

NOV. 10 at SMU

NOV. 18 at TULSA

NOV. 25 vs. UAB

Schedule is subject to change. Check meangreensports.com for the most up-to-date information.

New Faces for Athletics

Just as UNT prepares to make its move to the American Athletic Conference, Jared Mosley (pictured at right) was appointed vice president and director of athletics, and Eric Morris (center, next to UNT President Neal Smatresk) was named head football coach.

Mosley, the 15th director of athletics in UNT history, brings 20 years of experience in athletics administration and leadership. He previously served as associate vice president and chief operating ofcer at UNT, as well as sport program administrator for both men’s and women’s basketball while assisting with football and handling scheduling for the football program.

Before joining UNT, he served as chief executive ofcer and president of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, as well as director of athletics and associate athletic director at Abilene Christian University.

“We have accomplished much in recent years, but we need all of Mean Green Nation pulling in the same direction to help take our department to even greater heights,” Mosley says.

Morris, the 20th football coach in North Texas history, previously served as ofensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Washington State in 2022.

“As a native Texan, I understand the pride and standard of Mean Green football and I am humbled to be able to lead this storied program,” Morris says.

STORY BY HEATHER NOEL

PHOTOGRAPHS BY AHNA HUBNIK AND BEN TORRES

From plant molecular biology to fashion design and merchandising, UNT professors are researching ways to reshape the fashion industry’s supply chain.

Iva Jestratijevic was 16 and working as a model around the world when she frst learned about the not so glamourous side of fashion. Getting ftted for runway shows, she often visited factories and clothing manufacturers. The abysmal conditions she witnessed are images that still fuel her work to make change today.

“There are so many bad things hidden behind the curtain,” says Jestratijevic, now an assistant professor in UNT’s College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism with a research focus on sustainability and transformative behavior. “Huge amounts of waste, underpaid employees (commonly women and children) working day and night and overall unsafe work conditions.”

With all the glitz of the runway and pressures to obtain the latest trending styles, it’s easy to disassociate from the people involved in fashion’s production and the impact the industry has on the workers and the environment. As one of the world’s largest polluters, the fashion industry has weaved some not so pretty tales in terms of its environmental impact. While the industry is not inherently sustainable, that isn’t stopping UNT community members from researching and experimenting with ways to reduce the toll that fashion takes on the Earth and the people involved in its labor.

From plant molecular biology to fashion design and merchandising, UNT faculty, students and alumni are thinking of ways to reshape the fashion industry’s supply chain. In the process, they are inspiring others through their actions and educational instruction to be the next generation of changemakers with an eye on sustainability.

“As an industry, we have been bad people making really beautiful things for a very long time,” says Barbara Trippeer, UNT assistant professor of fashion design. “We must acknowledge that we have a part to play in the solution and a responsibility to be mindful of the efect of our actions.”

THOUGHTFUL DESIGN

Like Jestratijevic, Chanjuan Chen (’15 M.F.A.) also saw frsthand the poor conditions of some manufacturing facilities as she toured them during her undergraduate education in China. Those experiences made her realize she wanted to do more than make beautiful clothes.

Then, as a master’s student in fashion design at UNT, she was introduced to sustainability and thinking through a garment’s whole life cycle. Now, she’s come full circle as an associate professor of fashion design in UNT’s College of Visual Arts and Design exploring ways clothing could be developed on demand via 3D printers at home in what she calls modular fashion. Her modular designs are all made up of smaller pieces that interlock together — one even mimicking intricate, hand-woven lace.

“The idea is that in the future, you wouldn’t even have to go to the store anymore. You could download, print and assemble your own garments at home,” Chen says.

While 3D-printed garments might not be ready for mainstream, there are simpler sustainable techniques that could more readily be adopted by

Left UNT Fashion Design Associate Professor Hae Jin Gam teaches a course on fashion industry techniques.

the industry. In her courses at UNT, Chen instructs students on zero waste pattern design and cutting techniques that reduce fabric scraps.

“I introduce sustainability in all of my courses as something that shouldn’t be an extra thing to think about, but rather something that’s a natural consideration in the way students approach their designs,” Chen says.

Many of Chen’s students have taken a sustainability focus with their work. For his senior collection inspired by nature, Johnathan De La Cruz is using all cotton fber and natural dyes.

“I wanted to use biodegradable materials so that if it ends up in a landfll, it can decompose naturally and not pollute our environment,” he says.

De La Cruz visited a cotton farm along with other fashion design students in 2022. The trip was one of many educational initiatives such as feld trips, lectures and workshops funded through grants UNT has received in recent years from Cotton Inc., a nonproft funded by U.S. cotton growers that is focused on research and marketing of the crop.

“It’s so important to step outside of the design process and think about other parts of the fashion industry — such as where fabric is being made, how it’s being made and who it’s being made by,” De La Cruz says.

That perspective is exactly what UNT fashion design faculty members Barbara Trippeer and Hae Jin Gam hoped students would glean from the experience. Trippeer, Gam

and other professors in the Department of Design are working together to give students a well-rounded education when it comes to sustainability.

“We’re really working on an interdisciplinary approach to design education across our programs in fashion, interior and communication design,” Trippeer says. “In all three disciplines, we share a vision of ethical design, looking at things with a holistic thought process and thinking about the more human-centered perspective.”

Trippeer and Gam also have teamed up to analyze UNT’s design curriculum that cross-trains students and look at the viability of using smaller clothing manufacturing facilities through doing a published case study of Ottomatic Threads, a Cross Roads-based micro-factory and outdoor fashion line owned by Alisa Otto (’06, ’15 M.F.A.).

“Our industry is changing. With some of the big fashion corporations closing, there are more opportunities for students to start their own companies,” Gam says.

EFFICIENTLY GROWN

As a plant molecular biologist, Roisin McGarry’s work is far from the fashion runway, but in the future, it still could have a very real impact for a prime textile used to construct many of the world’s garments. Her research, which has been funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cotton Inc. among others, focuses on the architecture of the cotton plant. She’s part of an

interdisciplinary team of researchers in UNT’s BioDiscovery Institute, which was established in 2016 to develop innovative solutions to create a sustainable bio-based economy. Cotton is a textile most prominently used for clothing, but it’s also a component for making currency, foor coverings, building insulation, medical supplies, various beauty products and other items.

“It permeates so many facets of our lives, yet we haven’t seen much study on cotton’s genetics,” McGarry says.

The absence of previous research has required McGarry to invent her own genetic tools for working with the plant. She specifcally looks at ways the cotton plant’s genes can be manipulated to impact the structure of the plant, making it grow more efciently using less of Earth’s precious space and water resources.

“I investigate the growth regulation of the plant, looking at things such as fowering time, arrangement of branches on a plant, as well as the size of the bolls it produces,” McGarry says. “The goal with my research is to fnd ways to increase the yield of cotton fber from the plant.”

“

WE HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN THE SOLUTION AND A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE MINDFUL OF THE EFFECT OF OUR ACTIONS.”

- BARBARA TRIPPEER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF FASHION DESIGN

As fashion designers turn to using more natural fbers for their collections, the demand for textiles like cotton will grow, McGarry says.

“And as we increase the yield of cotton, we want to make sure its fbers still have a high quality,” she says. “Those attributes don’t happen during processing or after harvesting. They happen on the plant itself and are determined by how the plant grows. That’s why my work on the biological and agricultural side of things is fundamentally important to solving sustainability challenges.”

REDUCING WASTE

Another challenge is production waste. Each year, 11.3 million tons of textile waste in the U.S. ends up in a landfll. That amount of waste was smaller when Jana Hawley became one of the frst scholars in the country to study textile waste in the 1990s as an assistant professor at UNT, but it still didn’t sit well with her.

“I wanted to do research that was personally satisfying to me,” Hawley says. “I studied it from all aspects how textiles go into the waste stream, what companies do with the waste and what we can do to reduce waste from entering the stream. Now, we’re seeing more companies fnally starting to look at the circularity and zero waste possibilities of textiles, which is exciting.”

As a sought-out expert on textile recycling, Hawley has consulted for many

companies from large retailers such as Walmart to smaller businesses like Looptworks, which works with waste from brands to upcycle materials into new products.

Currently serving as dean of UNT’s College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, Hawley has made sustainability a priority in the college’s curriculum and is encouraging younger faculty like Jestratijevic to continue discovery in this feld.

In her courses, Jestratijevic ensures students understand fashion’s impact on the world, so they are well equipped to make environmentally mindful decisions in their future careers. In 2020, she launched a unique undergraduate course covering sustainable strategies in merchandising, and she is currently developing another course on sustainable packaging, a focus of her research.

“I tell my students, you know what the ideal fashion item would be, the one I hold in my hands which doesn’t exist,” Jestratijevic says. “Whatever we produce will never be completely sustainable because there will always be some sort of impact. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop trying to decrease the negative efects of the industry.”

Jestratijevic has found that a combination of sustainability strategies could help fashion brands lessen waste from their packaging. The seven strategies include: rethinking packaging logistics, refusing to use single-use packaging, reusing packaging, reducing the packaging quantity, recycling packaging, repurposing packaging and providing rot or compostable packaging solutions. This past fall, Jestratijevic and her research partner Urška Vrabič-Brodnjak, who was a visiting professor at UNT in 2022, presented the frst global report on sustainable packaging innovation in the fashion industry in scientifc journals Sustainable Production and Consumption and Sustainability

Top left: Iva Jestratijevic, assistant professor in UNT’s College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism

Top right:

Chanjuan Chen (‘15 M.F.A.), assistant professor of fashion design, speaks with senior Johnathan De La Cruz

Left: Research Assistant Professor of plant development and plant molecular biology Roisin McGarry

Jestratijevic will soon publish an open-source book through UNT Press that educates about sustainable practices businesses can incorporate in their operations using her own research and interviews with leaders from sustainably focused organizations such as Patagonia, Eileen Fisher and Fashion Revolution. Of the thousands of fashion brands in the U.S., fewer than 100 are ofcially certifed for their sustainability practices.

“Many companies say they are sustainable, but it’s just good marketing,” she says. “The fashion industry is not isolated, there are so many other industries from agriculture to retail that are involved. We must work together to make sure the entire chain of operations is sustainable.”

Read about UNT alumni who are making sustainable change. northtexan.unt.edu/future-fashion

Maria Otero (’07, ’19 M.S.), a board-certifed behavior analyst at Cook Children’s Hospital and second-year doctoral candidate at UNT

UNT ALUMNI AND FACULTY BRING UNIQUE VOICES TO A RANGE OF SETTINGS — FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE CORPORATE BOARDROOM.

BY AMANDA

STORY BYAMANDA FULLER

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LEO GONZALEZ & AHNA HUBNIK

Maria Otero (’07, ’19 M.S.) was a high school student volunteering at a summer camp for children with special needs when she frst witnessed the life-changing power of applied behavior analysis.

“I’d hang out with some kids one summer, and by the next summer, they’d made a ton of improvement,” she says. “They were communicating more, expressing themselves and interacting with their peers. They just seemed so much happier. It was a common thread that a lot of these kids were getting applied behavior analysis therapy.”

Born in Colombia, Otero migrated to the U.S. at the age of 5 as a political refugee with her mother and older sister. After studying behavior analysis at UNT — one of a few universities in the nation to ofer the program to undergraduates — she’s now a second-year doctoral candidate at UNT and a member of G-RISE, a National Institutes of Health-funded program that recruits and prepares a diverse pool of doctoral scientists for careers in the biomedical research felds.

She’s well on her way, currently serving as a boardcertifed behavior analyst at Cook Children’s Hospital and providing early intensive behavioral interventions to children with autism spectrum disorder.

Through her research in the lab of Manish Vaidya, associate professor of behavior analysis, Otero is working to develop technologies that enable clinicians, teachers and other caregivers to be more efcient and efective in providing data-driven interventions for children with learning difculties. One example is her prototype for an app that converts a complex behavior analysis assessment

that typically requires multiple appointments with a specialist into a simple app anyone can use to determine whether a child has the prerequisite skills needed to learn a complex verbal task.

“I focus on creating technologies that help facilitate learning for children,” she says. “Systemically speaking, there just aren’t enough people to provide the services they need, and that can set them behind for the rest of their lives. But we can make a diference. Through research and through technology that is user-friendly and accessible, we can bridge those gaps.”

A designated Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving Institution, UNT is home to students, alumni and faculty who are fnding innovative, interdisciplinary ways to break barriers to equity and access in all areas of society — from health care and education to industry.

In 2022, UNT became a founding member of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities, a group of 21 of the nation’s Tier One research universities committed to increasing opportunity for students historically underserved by higher education. Members strive to achieve two key goals by 2030: to double their number of Hispanic doctoral students and increase their Hispanic professoriate by 20%.

“Becoming more intentional in the steps we take to serve all of our students will have far-reaching benefts, not just for all of the members of UNT’s diverse and caring community,” says Pam Padilla, vice president of research and innovation, “but for our society at large as these innovative thinkers create solutions for a more equitable future.”

SPEAKING UP

Cesar Jaquez (’19, ’21 M.S.) began seeing a speech therapist for his stutter when he was in elementary school.

He was bullied for his stutter early on, but it didn’t impact his ability to make friends and socialize until middle school, when negative thoughts began to creep in.

“I felt isolated in my experiences, thinking I was the only person who stuttered,” he says. “I didn’t get to talk to another person who stuttered until I started group therapy at the UNT Speech and Hearing Center during my sophomore year.”

He continued speech therapy until he began his graduate studies in speech-language pathology at UNT, and he attributes his interest in the feld to the strong relationships he built with his own skilled and empathetic speech therapists.

“It showed me how much it can impact someone’s life, especially being someone who needed a little bit more help,” he says. “Now I get to choose when I want to implement my strategies and be fuent on my own terms, rather than have my speech dictate when I should talk and participate in my own life. I’m much closer to truly understanding what it means to be content with myself, knowing that what I want to say is more important than how I say it.”

Jaquez is now a speech pathologist himself, working in a skilled nursing facility to provide senior patients with acute and long-term speech therapy.

“We have some full-time residents and some skilled patients who come in for a shorter rehab stay, so their needs can really vary. A person who has just had a stroke might need to learn how to communicate for themselves and properly sequence basic tasks like standing or swallowing. That’s where co-treatments come into play a physical therapist will work with the physical aspects while I work on the cognitive aspect.”

Jaquez always thought he’d work with children with communication disorders, like his own therapists did. But after completing his graduate externship at Medical City Plano, a Level I Trauma Center, he saw how speechlanguage therapy can transform someone’s life at any age.

“Many of our patients are dealing with dementia, Alzheimer’s or other language impairments that, even if they can’t be cured, can be managed. Our goal is to help them live as independently as possible so they can socialize, advocate for themselves and feel a sense of purpose.”

Completing his master’s degree during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging, but he found support in mentors like associate professor Katsura Aoyama, director of graduate studies in speech-language pathology and the UNT Psycholinguistics Lab.

“Dr. Kat is every student’s No. 1 supporter,” he says. “She’s never hesitant to reach out to catch up and provide career support.”

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 92% of speech-language pathologists are white and 96% are female. As a Hispanic male, Jaquez is proud to be part of the national push to increase diversity and representation in the feld.

“One of the reasons I got into this feld is that our patients deserve to see themselves,” he says. “Whether it’s a child or an adult, with or without a disability — if you consider my speech a disability, which, for people who stutter, varies from person to person. Patients deserve clinicians who can relate to their life experiences and understand how it impacts their language, their speech, their communication. I realized I can provide that for my patients by just being a little diferent.”

Aoyama has advocated for increased diversity in audiology and speech-language pathology throughout her career.

One of her current initiatives is Project Communicate, an interdisciplinary collaboration led by associate professor of special education Miriam Boesch. Funded by a $1.24 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the fve-year program will train special education teachers and speech-language pathologists to better serve students with autism spectrum disorder.

Project Communicate was inspired by the nation’s growing need for professionals to work collaboratively across numerous disciplines to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Its frst cohort will begin in Fall 2023 with 12 special education teachers and fve master’s students from the speech-language pathology program.

Cesar Jaquez (’19, ’21 M.S.), speech pathologist

Cohort participants will complete interdisciplinary coursework at UNT and conduct supervised feld work in Dallas-Fort Worth area schools, where they’ll work directly with students with autism while receiving one-on-one training and mentorship from an onsite autism specialist.

The program also funds networking and professional development opportunities such as local and national conferences, monthly seminars hosted by expert practitioners, and workshops with distinguished scholars.

“Research shows that children tend to have better outcomes when they’re taught by individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds,” Boesch says. “To increase diversity and representation in the feld, we have to increase it in our own programs by attracting more diverse and nontraditional students. Initiatives like Project Communicate, which ofers generous funding and focuses on career-readiness, are a step in the right direction.”

IMPROVING EDUCATION

Karisma Morton, assistant professor of mathematics education, also is working to transform the future of education by transforming future educators. How children learn math — and more importantly, what they believe about how they learn math — is deeply infuenced by cultural and societal factors. Through her research and teaching, Morton investigates how gender

and racial inequities in STEM education arise and works to instill the principles of equity-minded pedagogy in preservice elementary teachers. In her classes, she also cultivates opportunities for her students to refect on their own experiences as math learners and deepen their understanding of the various challenges and approaches.

“I want to leave them with tools and a new perspective of what math learning can be for all children,” Morton says. “My focus is the students in front of me, and the students in front of them.”

One of those students was Marin Woodard (’22). Now a fourth-grade teacher at Ginnings Elementary in Denton ISD, Woodard found her calling while working as an afterschool coach at the YMCA, a job she took after being laid of from her full-time job in the mortgage industry.

“Although I was a nontraditional frst-time student, I never felt ‘old,’” she says. “UNT has so many people from so many backgrounds, it was always so inviting.”

Woodard was in the frst cadre of the College of Education’s Practice Activism in Literacy (PALs) Teaching, an innovative teacher training program that is embedded in Denton ISD schools and grounded in a commitment to preparing teachers.

In addition to Morton, Woodard worked closely with assistant professor Brittany Frieson and senior lecturer Jeannette Ginther in the Department of Teacher

“The kids have realized that mathematics is everywhere, and a mathematician can look like them or anyone else.”

-Marin Woodard (’22)

Marin Woodard (’22) (middle) alongside her two mentors, Karisma Morton (left) and Brittany Frieson (right)

Education and Administration, and the three would go on to shape not only her journey at UNT, but her entire teaching philosophy.

“I wouldn’t be half the teacher I am if it weren’t for them,” she says. “Dr. Frieson focuses on equity and literacy and honoring students’ real voices, especially when they’re expressing themselves. All three of them emphasized the importance of building relationships with students — seeing them for who they are and what they bring to the classroom beyond the academic aspect.”

Since 2021, Woodard has partnered with Morton and Frieson on the Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching project. An initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English, it’s designed to create a space for early childhood educators of color and educators who teach children of color, emerging bi/multilingual students and children from low-income households. They have presented their research on culturally relevant pedagogy at national conferences in Louisville, Kentucky, and Anaheim, California, with their fnal conference scheduled for summer 2023.

“Now, as we work together in this research area, Dr. Morton is able to come visit my students, and we talk about what a mathematician looks like,” Woodard says. “The kids have realized that mathematics is everywhere, and a mathematician can look like them or anyone else.”

EMPOWERING THE INDIVIDUAL

Melissa Savage, assistant professor of educational psychology and faculty associate in UNT’s Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society (CREEHS), is researching ways to increase participation in healthy habits, like group exercise, for a group that’s often overlooked in inclusion advocacy — individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Savage and colleagues from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill created a program called Step It Up to research self-management strategies, such as selfmonitoring and goal-setting, to support individuals with disabilities in exercise. They plan to use that information to create efective, scalable interventions.

Her project began with a $30,000 pilot research grant from the Organization for Autism Research. It explored the individual factors that can contribute to adults with disabilities participating in physical activity, including learning self-management techniques and receiving social support through individual coaches. The study reinforced Savage’s belief that, although it is crucial to build skills and capability at the individual level, meaningful inclusion requires a systemic solution.

“Access is there, but the social barriers make inclusive participation more challenging,” she says, adding that the next phase of the project will be a multi-site partnership with UNC researchers.

The teams will build on Savage’s pilot program, engaging with caregivers, support professionals, exercise professionals and community leaders to remove barriers to inclusion, shift perspectives and establish inclusive ftness experiences ranging from classes and programs to community events. She will work with CREEHS to recruit participants representative of the racial and socioeconomic diversity of Dallas-Fort Worth communities and already

Melissa Savage, assistant professor of educational psychology

“Another big part of our work is to ensure we actively involve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our research and fnd better methods to help us do that. Learning from their experiences can support increasing healthy habits for all.”

-Melissa Savage

has begun securing community partners such as The Rec of Grapevine.

“Another big part of our work is to ensure we actively involve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our research and fnd better methods to help us do that,” Savage says. “Learning from their experiences can support increasing healthy habits for all.”

HARNESSING CONNECTIONS

Raquel Daniels (’94, ’08 M.J.) has built her career around breaking barriers. But she’s learned that if you want to be an agent of change, you must frst make meaningful connections.

Growing up, Daniels wanted to be like Barbara Jordan, the frst African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the frst Black woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I loved her diction, her voice,” she says. “I loved how she advanced society and wanted to be a voice for the underrepresented. I didn’t know how that would show up in my own life, but I’ve always been interested in how to connect people, how to create opportunity in a way that amplifes people as individuals.”

In June 2022, Daniels was appointed vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion ofcer for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the largest customer-owned health insurer in the United States.

She leads initiatives ranging from accountability practices like leadership scorecards to company initiatives including business resource groups that bring employees together around shared identities and interests.

“I am excited to serve in a role that aligns with my values, and to use my gifts to continue HCSC’s longstanding commitment to attracting, hiring and retaining people who refect the makeup of the communities where we live and do business,” she says.

Daniels has served in numerous leadership roles throughout her 20-year career in DEI, most recently at Southwest Airlines. She traces much of her career success back to the connections she made at UNT, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and public relations and her master’s degree in strategic communications and marketing.

“UNT was a connective tissue for me,” she says. “I felt very prepared for my future, from an academic standpoint but also because of the individuals I met and formed relationships with.”

The professor who left the greatest impression was Bertina Hildreth Combes, a longtime professor and

administrator in the College of Education who was known for her passion for mentoring and her dedication to diversity and inclusion.

“As a young African American woman, working closely with someone who looked like me, who was so well respected and had such love, care and diligence for her work, was very important to me. Dr. Combes was the one who would tell me, ‘You got this. You’re going to do great.’ She saw things in me that I didn’t,” Daniels says.

The lessons Daniels learned at UNT continue to shape her vision for the future of DEI.

“There is a solid business case for practicing inclusiveness: productivity. Companies in the U.S. and across the world that take an inclusive approach to hiring and leadership are relatively more proftable,” she says. “Inclusive leadership is going to be the competency that we’re all looking toward; the willingness to ask humancentered questions like, ‘How can we harness the things that make us great, like our diversity, to be the most relevant, connected and competitive?’ I think inclusion is the activator.”

A proud alumna, she sees that spirit of belonging in UNT’s caring community and commitment to innovation.

“Every time I visit the UNT campus, I think, ‘Wow, how it has evolved!’ It’s a wonderful thing, because we can’t even begin to imagine the great shifts that can happen with the openness to evolve.”

Raquel Daniels (’94, ’08 M.J.), vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion ofcer for Health Care Service Corporation

Where are

they now?

They were student leaders during their time at North Texas. The times may have changed but, through the years, they remain committed to serving others.

THE MAN WHO CARES FOR ALL

QUINCY OLLISON (’75)

When San Antonio native Quincy Ollison frst saw the many Black, Hispanic and international students on the North Texas campus, he says that gave him confdence that in addition to receiving a quality education, he also would have a broadened experience on a diverse campus.

As a political science major and English minor, Ollison enjoyed the infrastructure of governmental systems and policies while possessing the literary skills needed to comprehend them. This was the beginning of his love for government.

“Although there were a limited number of Blacks that did participate in the Student Government Association,” Ollison says, “we got involved and got to work to create benefts for not only Black students but for all students.”

Enjoying the service and impact he made on students, Ollison ran for president of the SGA and became the frst Black student to hold that ofce.

“I found working in the SGA so fascinating,” Ollison says. “I was putting into real efect what I was learning from my political science classes, and I developed policies, managed student service fees and allocated $1 million of funds for the student body.”

Ollison has kept his love for public service as assistant United States attorney in Virginia and Houston. He encourages students to pursue their passions and stick with them until they are fulflled.

“If you have a sense of or perspective about what it is that you want to do,” Ollison says, “go after it and don’t be tempted to quit or change.”

Quincy Ollison (’75) in 1973 and today in his Houston ofce.

north Texan

Robyne Henry

A HOMECOMING FIRST

ROSALIND JOHNSON (’75)

It was a windy day in 1973 as Student Government Association President Mike Simpson (’74) placed the crown atop Rosalind Johnson’s afro. As she marched across Fouts Field as North Texas’ frst Black Homecoming queen, Johnson not only broke racial barriers, but she also sparked a shift in what North Texas represented and ignited hope and possibility for future generations of African American students.

“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” Johnson says. “I was the only person of color running and after I won, I was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe it!”

A frst-generation college student in her family, Johnson had known

that she was going to be a teacher since the 10th grade.

“Everyone knew that UNT had a renowned reputation for their top education program, and I personally knew that with me attending, I would expand my skills and diversify the job opportunities I could have.”

As a double major in elementary language arts and special education, Johnson had three job ofers before graduating. She spent 43 years cultivating her passion for education by teaching in Dallas ISD and Lancaster ISD until she retired in 2020.

Nearly 50 years from that historic milestone, Johnson afrms, “It was an out-of-body experience. It was no easy feat, but I’ve always been someone who’s determined, so I campaigned hard and won the votes of my peers.”

Allicia Washington-White

—

"I was the only person of color running and after I won, I was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe it!”

Rosalind Johnson (’75) was crowned Homecoming queen in 1973 by Mike Simpson (’74) , the president of the Student Government Association. Today, she’s a retired teacher.

THE HEART OF A KING

HOMERO BAYARENA (’86, ’88 M.B.A.)

When Homero Bayarena puts his mind to something, he puts his whole heart into it.

Growing up, Bayarena was told he wasn’t going to succeed in life because of his Mexican American background. But he didn’t listen and continued his education at UNT where he took advantage of all the opportunities presented to him to create the life he always wanted for himself.

He became active in several student organizations, and in 1984, he became the frst ofcial Homecoming king as well as the frst Latino Homecoming king. Bayarena now works for FranklinCovey as a senior consultant specializing in diversity.

“My involvement in so many organizations with diferent kinds of people led me into the world of diversity in business,” he says. “I was able to learn to recognize the value of the human being and have been able to surround myself with people who value each other.”

He also is the founder of one of Maryland’s largest and premier community theaters, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Bayarena was able to create his own path in life and, ultimately, the impact he has on people and his community has been immensely positive.

“My success stories aren’t about me,” he says. “They are about the people I’ve had a chance to possibly infuence on their journey.”

— Alicia Zartman

"“My success stories aren’t about me. They are about the people I had a chance to possibly

infuence on their journey.”

Homero Bayarena (’86, ’88 M.B.A.), who was crowned Homecoming royalty alongside Molly Smith, in 1984 (above) and today (above left).

FUN TIMES

GRACE HARGIS CARTER (’87)

A go-getter since she was a child, Grace Hargis Carter was very active at North Texas. In fact she chaired 16 university-wide committees.

“I was so overbooked as a student, it was actually crazy,” she says. “But I loved it.”

Carter became the frst female elected president of what was then called the Student Association. During that time, the organization oversaw a $5 million budget and the university was transitioning names from North Texas State University to the University of North Texas.

“We were a close-knit group of students who wanted to make the university a really fun place,” she says.

She kept in touch with the late Joe Stewart (’71 Ed.D.), who was dean of students and vice president of student afairs and mentored her through the process. She recently caught up with former classmates at a lunch.

After graduation, she used her radio, TV and flm degree to go into broadcasting. For 14 years, she anchored newscasts in Amarillo, Wichita, Orlando and Philadelphia, winning an Emmy Award for her series on health issues faced by Desert Storm veterans in Orlando. Now living in Houston, she works in TV production — ranging from TV commercials to corporate videos and is a real estate investor. She says her involvement at UNT prepared her for her career, from learning from her mistakes to fghting nerves.

“Taking leadership positions at a young age is really important,” she says.

—Jessica DeLeón

Grace Hargis Carter (’87) at her graduation ceremony (left) and working in video production today (below).

BETTER THAN HE FOUND IT

ERIC ROMAN (’96, ’99 M.S.)

Eric Roman champions change through leadership.

Inspired by his father, who served in the Odessa Police Department for more than 30 years as one of the frst African American police ofcers hired there, Roman always knew he wanted to continue his father’s legacy in law enforcement as a police ofcer or lawyer.

Roman chose UNT for its top-tier criminal justice program. After participating in several student organizations, he became the frst Hispanic president of the Student Government Association and was infuential in bringing new food options to campus and helping develop the UNT Multicultural Center.

Roman’s infuence did not stop there.

One day in 1996, he found a pledge book with racial epithets near a campus fraternity. That drove him to spearhead a campus-wide march that fall that drew 150 students.

“I always have made it a point to lead via the tenet of servant leadership. I tried to leave my position better than how I received it,” Roman says.

After graduating, he went on to work for the Dallas Police Department, where he has served in several units, including SWAT and gang narcotics, for 20 years.

Roman believes his experiences on campus helped him attain the career he has today as a major in the department.

“I look forward to this last chapter in the career and a rewarding retirement,” he says.

Shelby Bahnick

"I always have made it a point to lead via the tenet of servant leadership. I tried to leave my position better than how I received it.”

Eric Roman (’96, ’99 M.S.) was named Homecoming royalty alongside Raquel Washington (above left). Today, he’s a major in the Dallas Police Department (left).

LIVING THE DREAM

MARCELO OSTRIA (’10, ’11)

When the new president of Bolivia was being inaugurated in 2020, Marcelo Ostria was living his goal.

Ostria, who earned degrees in political science and international studies, wanted to be a diplomat — the same career as his father.

Public service always has been Ostria’s mission.

At UNT, he led the local UNICEF chapter to raise $21,000. He earned a Rotary Global Grant scholarship that he used to pursue a master’s degree at Oxford University.

Since he graduated, he conducted independent research in Chile as part of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, was an intern in the White House, worked as an academic advisor for the Kuwait Embassy and served as an advisor to the minister of foreign afairs and liaison for the U.S. delegation during the inauguration in Bolivia.

Now living in Dallas, he’s working as a fnancial consultant for TIAA, where he’s hoping to be involved in more humanitarian investments. He’s writing a book about child welfare. He hopes to start a nonproft organization. And it all stems from his activism at UNT.

“I’m happy to be involved,” he says. “UNT was the best formative experience I had. It’s launched my career. I’m a very proud alum.”

Jessica DeLeón

"I’m happy to be involved. UNT was the best

formative experience I had. It’s launched my career. I’m a very proud alum.”

Tell us what classmates you want to know more about for a future “Where Are They Now?” feature. Email .

Marcelo Ostria (’10, ’11) as a student (above) and today as a fnancial services consultant (above top).

POWER PLACE

The 135,000-square-foot building on the UNT at Frisco branch campus, which ofcially opened its doors to students and the public in January, provides the cuttingedge learning spaces and tools students need as they prepare for their careers.

Photographs by Ahna Hubnik and Leo Gonzalez

From several vantage points of UNT’s four-story Frisco Landing building, students have an eagle-eye view of the surrounding Dallas-Fort Worth area. They also have access to state-of-theart classrooms and study spaces where they can create the vision for their future — many working directly with industry partners who are collaborating at the campus.

Born from a partnership between the University of North Texas and the City of Frisco, the initial 100-acre gift from the city allowed UNT to move forward with master planning to provide the frst four-year institution for the booming population in Collin County. In 2016, UNT began ofering classes in Frisco at locations including Hall

The opening of Frisco Landing, which sits at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Panther Creek Parkway, marks the latest chapter in UNT’s presence in Collin County, which allows UNT to ofer convenient access to the opportunities that a UNT education provides for those in the North Texas region and beyond.

UNT at Frisco is reimagining higher education and shaping the visionary leaders of tomorrow, President Neal Smatresk said at the January ribbon

“Like the City of Frisco, we at UNT like to dream big,” Smatresk says. “We are on this beautiful plot of land on one of the most exciting corners of the city, a corner of the city that will be bursting with economic development — with entertainment, recreational opportunities.

“This campus is ready to feed employers and support the industry and economic development of this region.”

Frisco Landing is the frst permanent building on the branch campus and ofers many of the 27 undergraduate and master’s level programs taught in Frisco. Students have the opportunity to participate in partnerships with the Dallas Cowboys, PGA, TIAA and other corporations.

The campus features space that focuses on collaboration, transparency and open communication. It includes 69 “huddle rooms” that allow for small to mediumsized groups to collaborate, as well as interactive classrooms, a makerspace flled with the latest technology, a library, ftness center and café. It even boasts an event

space that can host up 300 people with seating and standing room.

“Soaring,” a suspended sculpture, in a frst-of-its-kind collaboration, was designed by College of Visual Arts and Design student Archit Karkare, and pays homage to the Indigenous Peoples upon whose land UNT at Frisco resides. There also is an amphitheater and a tower that will be lit green for Mean Green athletic victories and wins of other types for UNT at Frisco’s branch campus.

Frisco Landing and the area surrounding it provides a space for students to learn and be creative.

“This space is much more than just a building, it is a symbol — a symbol of how we want to serve our students by meeting them where they are, by using innovative concepts for project-based learning, corporate involvement and engagement with industry leaders, and by providing the kind of access that these students have only dreamed of having before,” UNT System Board of Regents Chair Laura Wright (’82, ’82 M.S.) says. “As we open this building, we also open the futures of all of the students who will be passing through these halls.”

Read more about the “Soaring” sculpture. northtexan.unt.edu/ frisco-sculpture.

EN

When Lauren Stephens (’10) began cycling as a junior in 2009, she never knew what kind of journey those two wheels would take her on. Stephens now races professionally as a member of the USA Cycling road team — winning the U.S. National Professional Road Race Championship in 2021. Read more at northtexan.unt.edu/lauren-stephens. (Photo by

Twila Muzzi)

EAGLES’ NEST

CLASS NOTES

keep up with the latest developments in the UNT family and tell your peers what you’ve been up to since leaving the nes. Send your news to the North Texan (see contac information on page 7).

the Hall of Fame of Phi Beta Mu, an 1952 CATHY GILLENTINE, Texas international bandmasters fraternity, City, is celebrating 50 years of writing at the 2021 Texas Bandmasters a newspaper column for the Galveston Association convention. Randy has County Daily News. The journalism been in music education since 1969 as graduate says, “At 92, having learned a high school band director and fne a lot from Professor C.E. Shuford and arts director. working on the Campus Chat, I am still

going strong.”

ARTFUL LIVING

1976 SPARKY KOERNER

Walter Eagleton (’81 M.M.) has gone on 1972 RICHARD J. ALLIE (M.Ed.), 40 years of working at the College of one adventure after another. Fort Worth, was honored by Crowley the Mainland in Texas City. He has

(M.M.Ed.), Texas City, is retiring after

After graduation, Eagleton sold sheet ISD, which named the Richard J. Allie served as chairman of the Fine Arts music to band directors and played clarMiddle School after him for his years Department for the past 20 years. inet and saxophone in professional gigs. of service. He was the principal at H.F. Sparky continues to live in the Texas He then pivoted careers, running the Stevens Middle School from 1984 to City area and perform with the various popular Eagleton Photography portrait 2004. He also was a member of the musical groups he has been involved studio in Denton. Now he and his wife, U.S. Air Force Reserve. During his time with for years, including Sparky’s Jazz Kimberly Anne Brown Eagleton, run as principal, he was called to active Express, Jazz Sunday, Trio du Jour and Artistic Gourmet Adventures. Clients duty for Operation Desert Storm and the Galveston Symphony Orchestra. see the sites of Europe on a tour guided served in the Persian Gulf War, then by Kim during the day and, in the evereturned to his school duties. His wife

1977

RALPH WININGHAM, ning, are treated to a three-course meal is Linda Allie (’72). He is the brother of San Antonio, has been recognized from Eagleton, who has been trained at Stephen Allie (’72 M.S.). by The Journal of the Texas Trophy Le Cordon Bleu, a prestigious culinary Hunters as a “Pioneer of Hunting.” school.

1972

DENNIS GAYLOR, Ralph has combined his talents as a He notes that his occupations have all Battlefeld, Missouri, has written the writer, hunter and chef into a career been an art form. book Growing a Student Movement: that includes his newest book Bustin’ “My parents always instilled in me that The Development of Chi Alpha Campus Clays & Cookin’ Game with Old Boots & I could do ‘anything’ I wanted in life, as Ministries, 1940-2020, about Chi Alpha Bacon Grease II. Ralph, who was a staf long as I loved it and was fulflled,” he Campus Ministries, the Assemblies of member and editor for the North Texas says. “I truly believe in the adage that ‘If God Christian student organization at Daily, is an award-winning writer and you love what you do, it’s not work. It’s state colleges and universities. Dennis photographer who retired in 2019. just an extension of who you are.’” served as national director for the — Jessica DeLeón organization from 1972 to 2013.

1980

MICHAEL J. TRUNCALE (M.B.A.), Beaumont, a U.S. district

1975

Read the full story. northtexan.

RANDY BARTLETT (’80 judge, was appointed federal unt.edu/artful-living M.Ed.), Wylie, was inducted into judicial liaison to the Board of

a family fit for unt

Gregory started at NTSU in 1983 and “wanted to do it all and see it all,” which included joining the track team. He set out to get a radio, TV and flm degree and started a business placing students in key behind-the-scenes production positions so they could network. This led to a brief career in advertising that took him to Hollywood, though he returned to Texas in the early 1990s.

Gregory built a busy career that necessitated putting classes on hold, fnally graduating with a degree in integrative studies in 2018. He and his wife, Jeri Lin, live in Utah, where he’s a code enforcement ofcer with the city of South Salt Lake. He is a life member of the UNT Alumni Association.

Ryleigh followed in her parents’ footsteps and is majoring in media arts. Her mom Melissa was a photography major who went on to represent photographers, designers and illustrators for national advertising companies and campaigns. She was even part owner of the country’s frst digital illustration studio, Studio 212.

When Ryleigh Dunn Walks aRounD unT, iT’s all Too easy To

imagine her mother, father and grandfather on campus with her.

Sitting for a performance of the One O’Clock Lab Band, for instance, Ryleigh feels the presence of her mom, Melissa Hopson (’83). Melissa worked as an assistant staf photographer for the public afairs and news information ofce at North Texas and once shot a concert of the band.

Football and basketball games bring back memories with her dad, Gregory Dunn (’18). He enrolled Ryleigh in the Junior Mean Green Club, and the pair attended games regularly until she reached high school. And of course, the traditional Homecoming bonfre is a throughline back to the 1950s, when Ryleigh’s grandfather and Gregory’s father, Frank Gerald “Jerry” Dunn (’60), fell in love with the college and set his

family on the Mean Green path.

Jerry met his wife, Eleanor Anne (Cook) Dunn, as a student and would often take her on dates to the Campus Theater and sports events. He worked for the U.S. Treasury Department for 35 years as a national bank examiner. A longtime contributor to the UNT Alumni Association, Jerry passed away in 2009.

“My dad called North Texas the greatest small college in America,” Gregory says. “He said it ft like it was made just for him.”

Gregory and Melissa met years after college and were briefy married. With their shared love of UNT, Melissa says there was never any doubt that Ryleigh would end up there as well. Ryleigh and Gregory enjoyed daddy-daughter dates going to the football games.

Ryleigh sees herself staying in North Texas. After all, she hopes her children will be the fourth generation to attend UNT.

— Erin Cogswell

Directors of the State Bar of Texas. He also was appointed to the Fifth Circuit Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions (Criminal).

1982 DON WATENPAUGH (’84 M.S.), Aledo, opened the business Studio Videnda LLC, which ofers custom, data-driven graphic, literary and musical art, with his daughter Kendra Houston. He has worked as manager of the space physiology laboratory at the NASA Ames Research Center; guest scientist at a medical center in Copenhagen, Denmark; assistant professor at the UNT Health Science Center; research scientist at the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory; and director of a sleep medical clinic and laboratory in Fort Worth. Although Don has traveled around the world, the home base of UNT left such an impression that he named his son Denton (’11).

1987 PAUL T. HEBDA (Ph.D.), Birmingham, Alabama, retired after 20 years working for the Social Security Administration’s Ofce of Hearings Operations, with his last 10 years spent as the chief administrative law judge in the Anchorage, Alaska, hearing ofce. He previously practiced law for 11 years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and served as director of international studies at UNT.

1987 CLIFF PRICE, Southlake, served as Global Student Entrepreneur Awards Champions chair for the Fort Worth chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization board of directors. Clif is the owner of Clif Price and Co., a wholesale service that showcases diferent top-performing products from numerous vendors.

1993 SHANA GARRETT, Carrollton, wrote the book Pure Heart Leadership: An Authentic Approach to Leadership. She is academic dean at Walden University for the schools of Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Public Policy and Administration.

1994 RUSSELL HILL (Ph.D.), Piscataway, New Jersey, is chief technology ofcer for Solidia Technologies, a construction materials company. He worked for 25 years for Boral, serving as its group chief innovation ofcer. He has 56 patents on inventions.

1996 JENNIFER BINGHAM

COLEMAN (M.S.), Pfugerville, wrote Come ’N Git It! Cookie and His Cowboy Chuckwagon (Pelican Publishing), which takes young readers along to the days of cattle drives in the 1800s. Jennifer also works as a school librarian for Pfugerville ISD.

1996 BRANDON KENNEDY, Dallas, is Texas regional representative for Bonhams auction house. He also worked at other galleries, museums, nonprofts, auction houses and the Dallas Art Fair.

1998 BRADLEY ALLAN SCOTT

(M.S.), Flushing, Michigan, and Tiana Lynn Scott welcomed their daughter, Autumn Rainbow Scott, in 2021. Bradley is electronic resources librarian at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan.

2000 STEPHEN ANDERSON

TACKLING CAREER GOALS

“Do you want to work for the Dallas Cowboys?” Nick Eatman, senior manager of digital media for the Cowboys, popped the question to Hailey Sutton (’18 M.J.) over the phone last summer.

“I was obviously shocked, but excited,” Sutton says. “This has been my dream since frst starting in the business.”

Sutton found her way to the top as an ofcial NFL sports reporter, producer and host for America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys. She came to UNT as a graduate transfer on the women’s soccer team, and her experience of being an athlete and her hard work at the Mayborn School of Journalism gives her a unique perspective as a sports reporter.

“It was defnitely a challenge,” she says. “But it prepared me for life, not only as a journalist but as an adult.”

— Erikah Woodworth

(M.M., ’05 D.M.A.), Chapel Hill, N.C., took part in the recording of Desde Lejos, the CD from the Dominican Read more.

northtexan.unt.edu/hailey-sutton

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS

Jazz Project, which consisted of himself; the late Jefry Eckels, who was a doctoral student at UNT from 2002 to 2012; and musicians from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Stephen, who serves as professor of composition and director of jazz studies at the University of North Carolina, composed fve new pieces for the project.

2000

JEREMY BAKKER, Nashville, Tennessee, is director of learning programs at Nashville Software School. Jeremy previously served in higher education for 10 years as a lecturer at Yale Divinity School; adjunct faculty in New Testament at the General Theological Seminary in New York; and scholar in residence at the Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee — and in data engineering and machine learning at Eventbrite.

CHRIS JAMIESON, Fort Worth, is the owner of Lawn Connections LLC, a professional landscaping and lawn care service. He served as strategic alliance chair for the Fort Worth chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization board of directors. Chris attended UNT from 1996 to 1997 and from 1999 to 2002.

2004

MALLARY MICHELLE FRIERSON, Venus, is a speechlanguage pathologist assistant at Burleson ISD who has co-created a speech and communication activity book, Color Days. She has worked with clients in public schools and outpatient rehabs since 2004.

2005 JANET RAY (Ph.D.), Lewisville, wrote the book Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark?: The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit (Eerdmans Publishing).

Janet was an adjunct clinical assistant professor in the biology department at UNT.

2007 JOSH REAMES, Brooklyn, New York, recently had his paintings exhibited at galerie frank elbaz, the Dallas outpost of a contemporary art gallery based in Paris. He worked in the design/screen printing business before attending the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree. He now works in his studio in Brooklyn with his wife Amber Renaye (’08).

2009 DALLAS DUGGER, Wylie, was named partner for audit services at Weaver, one of the largest public accounting and advisory frms in the United States. Dallas began his career with Weaver and now has more than 11 years of experience auditing government and not-for-proft entities.

2009 BRITTNEY LONDON, New York City, New York, wrote, directed and produced the short flm Duvar, about a Black man’s struggle to save his daughter when she is found unconscious on the foor. The movie has been screened at over 14 diferent festivals and events, winning several awards. Brittney, a theater major, has worked as an actor, teaching artist and voice actor around the world.

2010

JACKIE CARPENTER

(M.S.), Nashville, Tennessee, co-wrote People First: The 5 Steps to Pure Human Connection and a Thriving Organization with her husband, Three Along with having 20 years of experience in the private club industry, she serves as the editor of the Private Club Advisor.

PLATFORM TO HELP OTHERS

“I am in a position to be a part of a big, dynamic change.”

Aryana Bosh’s (’21) eyes sparkle as she outlines her game plan as Miss Black Texas 2023. The alumna, who graduated with a bachelor’s in rehabilitation studies, was awarded the title of Miss Black Texas 2023 in August. Currently studying for her doctoral degree in occupational therapy at Texas Woman’s University, she will represent Texas in the Miss Black USA pageant this year.

Bosh’s platform for Miss Black Texas focuses on two main issues: food insecurity and homelessness.

“Earning this title means that I can fully implement the change that I’ve always dreamed of being able to create,” she says. “I’m very happy to do the work to help the community.”

— Nabeela Iqbal

Read the full story. northtexan. unt.edu/aryana-bosh

Mean Green Pride

born at 12:01 a.m. New Year’s Day. The couple, who have been together for 17 years, knew each other before they came to UNT, but began dating while students here. Clif is a Mean Green football season ticket holder. “I think half his

3

2010 SHAINA PHERIGO (’12 M.B.A.), Houston, launched the public relations agency Bramble Creative. She previously worked as director of public relations for TBG Partners, a landscape architecture and design frm; public relations manager of the Gensler design frm’s Texas ofces; and newspaper reporter at the Houston Business Journal, Dallas Business Journal and The Dallas Morning News.

2011 ADRIAN GABRIEL CADAR, Nashville, Tennessee, graduated with his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in May 2021. He will be completing his internal medicine residency training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center this June and starting his fellowship in cardiovascular medicine in July. He aspires to become a physicianscientist in the feld of cardiovascular medicine with the goal of running a basic science lab focused on inherited cardiomyopathies.

2011 TERESA GARZA (’11 M.S.), Dallas, was named partner of tax services at Weaver, a public accounting and advisory frm. She serves on the board of directors for the Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies, the Texas Energy Council and the Women’s Energy Network.

2011 MICHAEL M. MILLER (M.A., ’17 Ph.D.), The Colony, is the author of XIT: A Story of Land, Cattle, and Capital in Texas and Montana (University of Oklahoma Press), which explores Gilded Age business and politics within the American cattle industry. He wrote about the XIT Ranch for his dissertation at UNT. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Tarrant County College’s Northeast

1 TALLULAH, A PIT BULL AND TERRIER MIX, is always ready for Mean Green football. She belongs to Stephen Hidalgo (’20), a marketing major who works for FHL Bank in Dallas.

2 KALI FLEWELLEN (’07, ’11 M.J.) AND CLIFF SCOTT (’08) welcomed a set of twins in 2022 and 2023 – and Clif showed of his Mean Green pride when the story got national attention. The couple appeared in People, Good Morning America and other media outlets around the world after daughter Annie Jo arrived at 11:55 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and daughter Efe Rose was

wardrobe is UNT — ha,” Kali says.

ETHAN THAO, TUCKER HOLLENKAMP AND BRUNO PHILLIPON (LEFT TO RIGHT) show their UNT junior year spirit at their apartment. Tucker is the son of Patty Hollenkamp (’86), who lives in Plano.

AGING WITH CARE

As a graduate student at UNT, Amy Blakely Laine (’99 M.S.) was juggling her classes with the duty of being a caregiver for her grandmother who was several states away.

Laine couldn’t turn a blind eye to the idea of other families experiencing the same challenges that her family faced, so she created SandwYch, an online service that aids families in taking on the difcult role of a caregiver for their loved ones. The name SandwYch refects the territory of being sandwiched between taking care of parents and raising a family during the prime of one’s career.

“The work feeds my interest in social family dynamics and nurtures my enthusiasm for technology and health care,” she says. “Our work, while difcult, is perfectly placed in the emerging longevity economy.”

— Erikah Woodworth

Read the full story. northtexan. unt.edu/amy-blakely-laine

Campus and Dallas College’s Brookhaven Campus.

2012 DAMIN SPRITZER, Norman, Oklahoma, was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor at the University of Oklahoma. She was appointed to the faculty at OU in 2015 and named area chair of the Organ Department in 2020. She has recorded fve CDs for Raven Recordings and performed in concerts around the world.

2013 JAMES BAILEY

BLACKSHEAR (Ph.D.), Mesquite, cowrote Confederates and Comancheros: Skullduggery and Double-Dealing in the Texas-New Mexico Borderlands, which looks at what drew both Texas cattlemen and Comancheros to the border between Texas and New Mexico in the 1860s and 1870s.

2013 FRANKY D. GONZALEZ, Los Angeles, California, has been awarded the 2021 Judith Royer Award for Excellence in Playwriting from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. Franky also served as a staf writer for the fourth season of the Netfix show 13 Reasons Why and has been a fnalist at a variety of conferences. He also has been named the 4 Seasons Resident Playwright, a Sony Pictures Television Diverse Writers Program Fellow and a Core Writer with the Playwrights’ Center.

2013 KATE LATTIMORE NORRIS (M.B.A.), Fort Worth, was promoted to vice president of Pavlik and Associates, a public relations and communications frm based in Fort Worth. Kate has been working with the frm for 12 years, most recently as the director of community engagement.

2013 ARTHUR PICHON, Dallas, is following his passion of selling vintage clothing as the CEO of his company, Back to Life Vintage, which he established in January 2020. A marketing major who always wanted to run his own company, he used his interests in clothing, nostalgia and sustainability to start the business that specializes in selling clothing from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

2013 RACHEL MAY SMITH

(Ph.D.), Los Angeles, California, was appointed director of Summer Arts for the California State University Chancellor’s Ofce. She will lead a program that provides intensive arts classes taught by world-renowned guest artists to students from across CSU’s 23 campuses.

2015 ANGELICA PORTILLO, Dallas, is the inaugural director of advocacy and workforce initiatives for the National AfterSchool Association (NAA), the voice of the after-school profession and lead organization for the advancement of after-school professionals and leaders. She previously served as director of advocacy at Dallas Afterschool.

2015 LATOYA ROWELL, Plano, was promoted to vice president, community afairs manager at Comerica. She started her career 15 years ago as an administrative assistant, and has had various positions within its business afairs, charitable contributions and external afairs departments.

fifty years of super memories

There’s noT very much The super piT hasn’T seen in iTs 50 years.

Formally known as the UNT Coliseum, it has hosted numerous basketball games, some of which drew frenzied crowds as the Mean Green clinched conference championships. It’s witnessed tears of joy as graduates received their degrees during commencement ceremonies. It served as the place for students to register for classes before technology made that system obsolete. It welcomed numerous celebrities from former President George W. Bush to Pearl Jam. And it sheltered 278 evacuees from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.

It celebrated its milestone birthday March 27. On that date in 1973, it hosted a Denton Chamber of Commerce banquet featuring television star Art Linkletter. Basketball wouldn’t be played there until November.

Decades later, it’s proven to be one of the most versatile buildings on campus. “There’s not a bad seat in the house and it’s good for so many diferent things,” says Steve Selby (’70), who was then business manager in the athletics department and later served as the Coliseum’s director.

It was almost hard to replace the Men’s Gym, which was tiny but earned the nickname “The Snake Pit” for its tight quarters and loud fan base. But the facilities had gotten out of date. The Super Pit, which cost $8 million to construct, boasted nearly 10,000 seats and modernized facilities.

Through the years, it’s also hosted high school commencement ceremonies, the annual American Dance and Drill competition and other events. Most recently, the Coliseum received numerous renovations to the locker rooms, concourses and ticket ofce.

The timing was good with the basketball teams excelling and the Coliseum hosting WNIT and NIT games.

Tony DeSousa (’10), a stockbroker who lives in Frisco, has been a frequent Super Pit visitor. He caught the fever when the men’s team beat Oklahoma State in 2007 and the students rushed onto the court.

“It’s been a really crazy atmosphere,” he says. “It’s a good place to watch a game. It’s loud and exciting.”

Above The Super Pit in 1973, in a photo taken by the late Orrin Smith “Smitty” Kiker, who was a university news service photographer, journalism instructor and student publications photography advisor. Bottom The Coliseum is often packed for commencement ceremonies, such as this one for the College of Engineering and College of Science in 2018. (Photo by Michael Clements)

FRIENDS WE’LLMISS WE’LL MISS

unt alumni, faculty, staff and students are the university’s greates 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 contac information on page 7).

1940s

DAVID COMPTON (’49 M.S.), Athens, Georgia. He taught chemistry at West Texas A&M University, Colorado School of Mines and Prescott College. He wrote NASA’s ofcial history of Skylab in 1974 and one of the Apollo histories at Johnson Space Center’s History Ofce, as well as the chapter on NASA and space sciences in 100 Years of Science and Technology in Texas in 1986. He was a writer/editor at the Los Alamos National Laboratory until he retired in 1993. He met his wife, the late Jane Walker (’50), at North Texas.

1950s

BILLY MAXWELL, Jacksonville, Florida. The golfer played on three of North Texas’ national collegiate championship teams in the 1950s and captured the 1951 U.S. Amateur title. He won seven PGA championships from 1955 to 1962. He retired in the early 1970s and began operating Hyde Park Golf Club in 1971 in Jacksonville. He was inducted into the UNT Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1982. He was married to Mary Maxwell (’59), who died in 1999.

PAULINE ROBERTS ANTHONY (’54, ’70 M.M.E.), Dallas. She taught public school music and piano in Grand Prairie before moving to Quitman, where she and her husband, James (’52, ’55 M.M.E.), owned a title company. She was an avid wildfower identifer, bird watcher and traveler.

MILES ALLEN RUTHERFORD (’54), Sugar Land. While at North Texas, he was a member of the Marketing Club and was a founding member of the Delta Epsilon chapter of the Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity. Miles worked as a CPA for accounting frms in Houston.

MILLY MARILYN BRACK (’56), Gladewater. She met the love of her life, the late Albert Foster Brack (’57), while at North Texas. They lived in the Bryan/ College Station area, where Al was a dentist and Milly was a sixth grade math teacher for Bryan ISD. After she retired, Milly continued to follow the growth of her alma mater while playing a mean game of bridge with her friends.

LOUISE ABT CLAY (’56), Liberty. She served at Texas Instruments as a computer programmer, worked at Halliburton in Houston and also owned her own business, Animal Inn, for 25 years. The mother of a child with special needs, she was active in organizations that helped supported living centers.

ELTON ‘TONY’ E. CLARK (’57), Sherman. After graduating with a degree in marketing, he was commissioned as an ofcer in the U.S. Air Force and worked for Pacifc Mutual Finance in Denver. He returned to his hometown of Sherman to work for his family’s business, Clark Equipment Company, for 30 years.

FORREST WATSON (’57, ’61 M.Ed., ’72 Ed.D.), Keller. While at North Texas, he was a Geezle. He taught school and was a principal and superintendent while earning master’s and doctoral degrees. He was the youngest superintendent in Texas schools at age 27 and created innovative practices in strategic planning and technology that earned him the nickname “father of modern school fnance.”

RONNIE TUTT, Franklin, Tennessee. He played drums for Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Jerry Garcia, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks and other legendary musicians. His work can be heard on such albums as Billy Joel’s Piano Man, Gram Parsons’ Grievous Angel and Elvis Costello’s King of America. He attended UNT from 1956 to 1959.

1960s

RAYMOND CLEMENT (’61, ’61 M.Ed.), Bowie. He was a member of the historymaking 1956 North Texas football team that was the frst to integrate. He also met his wife, Deloris Fleming (’61), here. He served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War and went on to have a 40-year career as an educator and coach for the Bowie Jackrabbits.

FRANKLIN RUSSELL SNOW (’62), Pampa. As a student at North Texas, he ran on the track team under Winton “Pop” Noah and joined the Geezles. After graduating with an administrative management degree, he worked in the oil industry as a technical advisor and administrator and was a private consultant until his retirement in 2016.

LEILA JAYNES MEACHAM (’63), San helping people as a law enforcement

biking. He was preceded in death by his Antonio. She was the author of several ofcer for 22 years, and was a mem- paternal grandfather, Glen Goode (’55). New York Times bestselling books, ber of the Golden Crescent Regional Survivors include his paternal grandincluding Roses, Tumbleweeds, Somerset Planning Commission and a volunteer mother, Barbara Goode (’55). and Dragonfy. Meacham worked as a for Habitat for Humanity. He also was high school English teacher, where she an avid sports fan and supporter of

2020s

frst dabbled in writing romance books. anything UNT. After she retired, she took up writing

RACHEL BARSIS, San Antonio. She was “when I ran out of all the things I waited TERRY L. CHILDERS (’76 M.P.A.), pursuing a second degree in criminal to do until retirement.” Abilene. He was the frst Black city justice in the College of Health and manager in the state of Texas when he Public Service. She was passionate

LYNNA KAY COUNTS (’66), Dallas. served as city administrator for the city about helping others with her service She taught speech, drama and English of Celina. He also was the frst Black dog, Harley, by her side. at El Paso and Dallas schools. She city manager and, at 34, one of the was named the 1971 National Speech nation’s youngest city managers for

JENNIFER HESTAND, Dallas. She was Teacher of the Year for the Southern Oklahoma City. He also worked for the working on her dissertation for her docSpeech Teachers Association. While at cities of Austin, Tyler, College Station torate in higher education. She worked North Texas, she was a member of the and Amarillo. He founded and headed as an instructor for Texas Woman’s National Theater Honor Society, Alpha Childers Construction Co. He attended University and Texas Wesleyan UniverPsi Omega. North Texas as a Clarence E. Ridley sity and had published articles for two Scholar, sponsored by the Texas City medical journals.

GEORGE UTLEY (’67), Ellinwood, Management Association. Kansas. He had a career in oil and gas

DAVID JARA, Dallas. He was a senior exploration. At North Texas, he was

RONALD JAY REDDEN (’76), Kingwood. taking courses in Frisco and in the G. a lineman for the football team and a While at North Texas, he was an ofcer Brint Ryan College of Business. He was member of the Geezles, the fraternity in Kappa Sigma fraternity, Inter-frater- a veteran of the U.S. Marines. that helped fund the Spiriki statue at nity Council President and twice NTSU UNT Apogee Stadium. Greek of the Year. Ron was known as a

KIARA PARGUIAN, Rowlett. She was trailblazer in dental anesthesiology. He a junior recreation, event and sport

headed the University of Texas Dental management major in the College of Branch Section of Anesthesiology and Education. She was known for her love PAUL HAMM (’70), Dallas. He was an served as a staf anesthesiologist at LBJ of football and always enjoyed the little educator and administrator in Rockwall General Hospital. In 1997, he founded things in life.

ISD until his retirement in 2005, and a private practice in dental anesthesia worked as a substitute teacher until in Houston. Ron was honored as an

JUSTIN SOLOMON, Princeton. He 2015. Paul served in the U.S. Navy in Outstanding Alumni in the UNT Depart- was enrolled in the Toulouse Graduate the mid-1960s, working on the fight ment of Biological Sciences. He was School. He was a third-grade teacher at deck of the aircraft carrier USS Franklin a lifetime member of the UNT Alumni McSpedden Elementary School in FrisD. Roosevelt. He was a volunteer, a Association. co. He loved having fun with his family, musician, a writer and an avid traveler including serving as the “resident narrawho visited all 50 states.

MARY ADELLA STANTON (’79 M.L.S.), tor” for game nights.

Katy. She spent most of her career

DON LOUIS KNIGHTSTEP (’70), Plano. working in libraries in Houston. She

TYLER THURMAN, Grapevine. He Over his 35-year career at Texas Instru- also received a Learning Resources was a junior graphic design major in ments, Don held multiple managerial Endorsement from North Texas. the College of Visual Arts and Design. positions and retired in 2002 as the He was known for his love of drawing, producibility and fabrication manager.

2010s video games and everything Marvel and Don married his college sweetheart, he had a presence that could light up Stacy Lee Underwood (’65), in 1965.

DANIEL GOODE (’17), Oak Point. He the room. earned his bachelor’s degree in psyGEORGE ‘JOE’ V. ATKINSON JR. (’76), chology with a minor in Italian. Daniel Victoria. He spent his entire adult life was a Dallas Stars fan and enjoyed rock climbing, reading and mountain

WE’LLMISS WE’LL MISS

University Community

MARTHA FULLER TURNER BAUGUSS (’62), Houston. She was a businesswoman who served on UNT’s Board of Regents from 1997 to 2000. She worked as a teacher for 15 years, then opened Turner-Owens Real Estate in 1981 and grew the frm, later renamed Martha Turner Properties, into the largest independent brokerage in Houston. She sold it in 2014 and today it’s known as Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty. Martha was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2009 and received UNT’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005.

PEARL BILGER, Denton. A member of the President’s Council, she and her husband, Harry Bilger, established the Dr. Marlys Lamar Scholarship to beneft students who want to pursue counseling psychology. They also have a planned gift that will support students in the Department of Psychology. She was a teacher.

EDRA BOGLE, Denton. She served on the English department faculty from 1970 to 2002, and became the frst coordinator of women’s studies. She held numerous elected positions for the Modern Language Association and the Science Fiction Research Association. She also was one of the early faculty members in Texas to come out publicly as an LGBTQ+ person and was active in numerous political organizations.

ALETHA ‘DARLENE’ BREED, Azle. She was an administrative assistant in the College of Education from 1991 to 1998. She also worked as a secretary, writer and editor, and teacher and principal at Outreach of Love Christian Academy.

BARBARA COE, Denton. The Professor Emeritus of business administration taught marketing at UNT from 1980 to

2005. She was the frst woman to teach in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, and she also taught at New York University before coming to UNT. She was a Regents Professor at UNT, won numerous teaching awards and consulted for Fortune 500 companies. She also was a generous contributor to UNT and a member of the Chilton Society, along with her husband, Teddy, Professor Emeritus of business administration who taught at UNT from 1980 to 2007. In their honor, the College of Music established the Ted and Barbara Coe Opera Scholarship in 2017.

CHRISTOPHER DEANE, Corinth. A professor of percussion who had taught at UNT since 2000, he earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Percussive Arts Society in 2019. He appeared in more than 70 performances as a concert soloist globally for symphonies and wind ensembles; performed on recordings as a timpanist, percussionist and Hungarian cimbalom soloist; and composed numerous works that were performed in international concerts and recitals worldwide. He directed the UNT Percussion Players.

JEROME ‘JERRY’ FARRINGTON (’55), Dallas. He served as chairman of UNT’s Board of Regents from 1988 to 1999. He created The Alfred and Johanna Hurley Military History Fund and The Farrington Fund for the Department of Information Science. He was a member of the President’s Council and a lifetime member of the UNT Alumni Association. He began his career as a customer service representative for Texas Utilities Company, eventually becoming chief executive ofcer and president of TXU in the 1980s. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Public Service. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda Young (’57).

KAREN DENISE GALUBENSKI, Denton. As an academic advisor in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, she enjoyed helping students and seeing them succeed. She was instrumental in the naming of the academic advisor and counselor network on campus — “University Counselor Advising Network,” or UCAN. She worked at UNT for 33 years before retiring in 2017.

MIRIAM GLOCK, Davis, California. Her donations include the William Darby Richardson Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund, a grant created in honor of her nephew who graduated from the Mayborn School of Journalism in 1978 — earning her a spot on the President’s Council.

WOODROW ‘WAYNE’ HASSELL, Krum. He was a technical engineer and lecturer in the Department of Media Arts from 1988 through the 1990s who had worked at numerous Dallas-Fort Worth TV stations in production as well as at TWU as media services coordinator.

RICHARD KNIGHT JR., Dallas. A member of the UNT System Board of Regents from 1999 to 2002, he was Dallas’ frst Black city manager. Knight served as assistant city manager for Dallas from 1982 to 1986, then took the helm as city manager from 1986 to 1990, spearheading the expansion of the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park and the Dallas Convention Center. He founded several companies, including Knight Waste Services. He previously worked as city manager in Durham, North Carolina; Carrboro, North Carolina; and Gainesville, Florida.

GLENDA KYSER, Denton. She worked as a library production associate for 42 years at UNT. She enjoyed playing card games, reading, spending time with family and getting to know others.

PETER ‘PETE’ LANE, Denton. During his time at UNT from 1984 to 2009, he was a history professor and administrator who served in numerous roles, including executive assistant to the chancellor, special assistant for athletics and vice president of development. Before coming to UNT, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served in the Air Force for 23 years. He won several medals as a Vietnam War fghter pilot. He commanded the emergency rescue team for the Space Shuttle, Columbia. He retired from military service in 1984 at the Pentagon as the chief of the Western Hemisphere Division air staf. Donations may be made to The Marjorie Murray Lane Audiology Endowment at UNT.

MYRTICE LARSON (’46, ’49 M.S.), Arlington. In the late 1940s, she served on the Demonstration School faculty at North Texas and then worked in education for four decades as a teacher, as well as an administrative supervisor of instruction for McKinney ISD and curriculum consultant for Arlington ISD. She retired in 1981. She and her husband established The Myrtice Nygaard Larson and Curtis Larson Scholarship for Education at UNT, and she left a planned gift benefting the College of Education. She was a member of the McConnell Society.

ALICE MILLER, Willow Park. She gave generously to UNT along with her husband, the late Jim Miller, Dean Emeritus in the College of Education. Alice was a nurse, a fashion designer and painter. Her fnal wish was to have memorial tributes made to the Dean Emeritus J.R. Miller Scholarship or the E. LaMar Hoke Memorial Scholarship at UNT.

LINDSAY MOORE FIELDS (’04, ’06 M.S., ’11 M.Ed.), Richardson. She played trombone for the Green Brigade her freshman year. In her 15 years working at UNT, she worked as an academic advisor and counselor; coordinator for academic initiatives and assessment; adjunct faculty; and

assistant director for residence life. She was studying for her Ph.D. in higher education and was a teaching fellow. She worked for Collin College as an advisor for their early college program. Survivors include her husband, Matthew Fields, who works for UNT’s Data, Analytics and Institutional Research (DAIR) team.

JOHN MURPHY (’84, ’86 M.M.), Denton. The Professor Emeritus of jazz history and former chair of the Division of Jazz Studies taught at UNT from 2001 to 2020, serving as chair of jazz studies for 11 years. He designed the jazz major for the D.M.A. in performance and taught jazz history, research methods, styles and analysis. He was chair of the Division of Music History, Theory and Ethnomusicology from 2006 to 2008. An ethnomusicologist, he was an expert on Brazilian music and the author of Music in Brazil (Oxford University Press). He was awarded Fulbright and National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships for research in Brazil. As a student at UNT, he was a member of the One O’Clock Lab Band, and he continued to perform in the DFW area, playing jazz on tenor saxophone and Irish traditional music on button accordion. Survivors include his wife, Genene, retired UNT staf member. Memorials may be made to the John Murphy Scholarship Endowment for Jazz Studies.

FRED PATTERSON, Denton. The owner of the Denton-Record Chronicle until his retirement in 1999, he was a member of the College of Music Support Council and the Matthews Society. Fred and his late wife, Patsy, established three scholarships in the College of Music. He spearheaded fundraising eforts and served on search committees for UNT, and also was a member of the President’s Council and the North Texas Athletics Trustees. He received a UNT presidential citation in 1985.

FRED POLE, Denton. He served as vice president and vice chancellor for UNT for 22 years. His career started in the military when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and he rose through the ranks, commanding operations worldwide and retiring as colonel in his 27-year military career. He oversaw countless construction projects on campus and was involved in master planning for the university. He and his wife, Barbara, were members of the Chilton Society, and Fred was named an Honorary Alumnus in 2004.

MARY ‘JANIE’ ROBINSON, Denton. As a fnancial aid counselor from 1990 to 2005, she is remembered for her positive attitude and smile as she helped many students secure their education through her work at UNT.

ALLEN WHEAR, New York City, New York. He taught baroque cello and viola da gamba as an adjunct instructor at UNT since 2010; performed as a soloist for multiple symphonies and orchestras; and appeared with many notable musical groups worldwide. He also was a prolifc writer of program notes. Survivors include his wife, violinist Cynthia Roberts, a principal lecturer in the College of Music.

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.

adventures along the way

I got in trouble with the chancellor of the university. He said the newspaper was illegitimate because the editor was elected by the Publications Committee of which the dean was a member and the dean never attended. I wrote that because you don’t understand something, it doesn’t make it illegal. He was furious, but he found me at a basketball game and apologized.

my name is keith shelton. I was on the journalism faculty for 23 years. I was the frst faculty advisor to the North Texas Daily.

In the 1960s, I was editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle when C.E. Shuford asked me to help with a 4410 reporting lab. Students had to cover meetings of the Denton City Council, the Denton school board and the Denton County Commissioners Court.

Mr. Shuford hired me to grade the stories the students wrote. Two students missed meetings and I gave them a C. Mr. Shuford asked me to give them a B since the reason they missed the meetings was that they were working on the Daily. I did so, and one of the students later won a Pulitzer Prize.

Mr. Shuford talked the dean into hiring me without a master’s degree on the basis of my many years of newspaper experience. The dean agreed because my bachelor’s degree was in English. It was with the provision that I would get my master’s while teaching.

When I joined the faculty, the student newspaper was called The Campus Chat, which I thought sounded like a high

school paper. I wanted to name it the North Texas Eagle, like the Brooklyn Eagle and the Wichita Eagle. The students outvoted me and it became the North Texas Daily.

We added AP wire service and changed from twice a week to four times a week, which made it a daily.

There were many adventures along the way.

During the Vietnam war era, there was an organization that strongly supported the war. One of the Daily editors wrote an editorial saying the university should keep an eye on them because they were potentially violent. The group came to the newsroom and threatened to beat the crap out of him. That proved the editorial’s point.

My former students won three Pulitzer Prizes. Sarah Broom (’02) won the National Book Award for her memoir, The Yellow House. My other students have gone on to work for The Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, WFAA and numerous public relations agencies, state agencies and other organizations. I recently had dinner with Charlie Fern (’90) (pictured at right), a former speechwriter for First Lady Barbara Bush who now runs her own PR frm.

The Daily won the highest honor of the national student newspaper organization, the Pacemaker Award.

James Keith Shelton (’72 M.J.) was on UNT’s journalism faculty from 1969 to 1978, director of News and Information Services from 1978 to 1979 and journalist-in-residence at UNT from the 1990s to the early 2000s . He previously worked as a reporter for the Dallas Times-Herald, where he covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He was managing editor and executive editor of the Denton Record-Chronicle through various times from the 1960s to the 1980s. His new book is Chance: My Life As a Series of Chances.