North Texan - UNT Magazine - Spring 2024

Learning To Fail P 30

75 AND THRIVING

The University Union celebrated its 75th birthday in March with a big bang. The all-day festivities included fireworks, a carnival and cupcakes. Although the Union’s buildings have changed, their purpose remains the same. The Union is the place for students to study, eat, nap, attend events and hang out with friends. It also provides student involvement resources and experiences. “The Union is the heart of student life,” says Wendy Denman, executive director of University Centers and Events. Read more about the Union’s history on page 55.

— Photography by Ahna Hubnik

FEATURES contents

Learning to Fail

On the road to success, it’s not uncommon to stumble along the way. Members of the UNT community share their stories about the obstacles encountered on their paths and how they navigated and learned from those challenges. As student-athlete KeAyla Dove says, “The KeAyla Dove story has good and bad, and at the end of the day, how did I overcome the bad and how did I handle the good?”

Built for Success

Wilson Jones (’85) nearly dropped out before earning his degree — and becoming a CEO. Now, a career center within UNT’s G. Brint Ryan College of Business bears his name.

BRILLIANTLY GREEN

Decade of Transformation

Following a decade of shepherding tremendous growth, transformation and success at UNT, President Neal Smatresk is resigning from the presidency and returning to the classroom.

Leading the AI Revolution

UNT alumni have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence and are using it to innovate in fields including healthcare and education, assisting others in better understanding and using the technology.

EAGLES’ NEST

ONLINE

INTERNATIONAL INSPIRATION

Ryan Schuette (’07) writes a fantasy novel inspired by his time in Washington, D.C. and overseas.

LEADER OF THE BANDS

Graduate student Amy Woody sticks close to home in her role as UNT’s director of athletic bands.

northtexan.unt.edu/online

INNOVATION P.16

Designing Greenspace / Drone Facility

Opens / Understanding Cotton Plants / Top Honors

MUSE P.20

Hitting a High Point / Books / A Serendipitous Role / Sight and Sound

MEAN GREEN P .42

Record Book Rubin / Early Returns

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS P .44

A New Light / Legacy Family

From Ring to Screen / Mean Green Pride

RETROSPECTIVE P.55

The University Union has provided 75 years of fun times.

FRIENDS WE’LL MISS P .56

Obituaries

PERSPECTIVE P.6 0

CVAD celebrates its 130th anniversary.

FROM OUR PRESIDENT

FUELING TRANSFORMATIONAL GROWTH

Our caring and creative community strives to create leaders of tomorrow

The spring semester is well underway and we continue to demonstrate why UNT is one of the best universities in Texas and the nation. Now the third-largest university in the state, behind only Texas A&M and UT Austin, we continue to grow. Since I began in 2014, total enrollment is up 30%, and graduate student enrollment is up an impressive 98%. We’re working hard to support that growth. Help is coming thanks to Texas voters who overwhelmingly approved Proposition 5 to create the Texas University Fund, an incredible investment for UNT and the state’s economy. I’m excited for what TUF will do to help us accelerate research, retain top talent, support our community, and continue to propel UNT to national prominence.

We recently commemorated one year since the grand opening of Frisco Landing, the first permanent building at our UNT at Frisco branch campus. Our partnership with the city of Frisco is opening doors for students to explore innovative degree programs to set them up for success and impact the world. We’re also marking 20 years at Discovery Park, the largest research park in the North Texas region dedicated to sciences and technology. The work happening there continues to contribute to our ranking as a Tier One research university.

As you likely heard, after 10 rewarding years as president, I am stepping down effective Aug. 1 (read more on page 26). I am proud of the transformation at UNT, and I know that will continue in the years to come. Along with our amazing faculty and staff, I remain committed to seeing students achieve their dreams at a caring and creative campus where they feel welcome and challenged. Thank you for your continued support.

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)

MANAGING EDITOR

JESSICA DELEÓN

EDITORS

SCOTT BROWN (’10)

AMANDA FULLER

JILL KING (’93 M.S., ’00 M.A.)

HEATHER NOEL (’23 M.A.)

LISA SCIORTINO

WALKER SMART

ART DIRECTOR ANGILEE WILKERSON

DESIGN EDITOR

NOLA KEMP (’92)

PHOTO EDITOR GARY PAYNE (’99)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT JAN CLOUNTZ (’94)

HARSH SANGANI (’23 M.S.)

ADVERTISING SHELBY BAHNICK (’17)

CHRISTOPHER

staff 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 office, 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 ©2024 UNT UBSC 3/24 (24-240)

TRIPLE COMMENCEMENT

As a first-generation student who grew up in an area statistically designated for limited success, my journey reflects the transformative power of education. I was raised by a mother working as a housekeeper with no formal education, and she instilled in me and my siblings the significance of pursuing higher education. My father, with an eighthgrade education, served in the Navy during World War II and, later in life, faced a debilitating stroke, leaving him paralyzed on his left side. Despite these challenges, my mother, a fulltime worker, cared for him and six children.

In high school, I made the decision to break the cycle of poverty by pursuing higher education. The journey was not an easy one, requiring me to work three jobs to make ends meet. Tragedy struck in my first year of college when my father passed away, compelling me to assume a caregiving role for my mother. Despite these hardships, I completed my bachelor’s degree at

St. Mary’s University, worked full time to support my family and began my own family.

Having witnessed the impact of a college education, my husband and I established an account to fund our children’s educational expenses.

Recognizing the value of continuous learning in the workforce, I earned a master of science in management at Our Lady of the Lake University.

Last year, my daughter Rachel Hernandez (’23) graduated with a bachelor’s degree in merchandising from UNT, while my son Matthew Hernandez graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas San Antonio. I received my doctorate in business administration from the University of the Incarnate Word. The collective achievement of our educational milestones fills me with immense pride.

Judy H. Treviño San Antonio

PROUD AND GRATEFUL

I just received my North Texan magazine. It brought tears of pride to my eyes. The publication becomes better and better each year and reminds me how proud and grateful I am for my many years at UNT. I first visited UNT in 1969, having hitchhiked from Waco to visit a friend in the Two O’Clock Lab Band. I fell in love with Denton, and I officially moved to Denton in 1976 and enrolled in a master’s program in 1986. That was the beginning of a wonderful career experience. I was so fortunate to become a staff member of the Institute of Applied Science and an adjunct professor in geography, and I obtained my doctorate in environmental science. I retired after 28 years, but my affection for UNT has not retired. Your magazine tweaks that fondness every time I receive it.

Bruce Hunter (’90 M.S., ’05 Ph.D.) Denton

FUN TIMES

I thought my story might be good news. I graduated from UNT with a bachelor’s in recreation management, with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation.

I went on to grad school at Indiana University and got my master’s and Ph.D. in human performance. I retired from Indiana State University as a full professor in 2023 after 26 years. I was the director of the recreational therapy program and outdoor center.

I use a wheelchair full time and lived in Crumley Hall in one of the accessible rooms. I have so many fond memories of living on campus and the Denton community. I was also a DJ on KNTU for two years working the

Left to right: Rachel Hernandez (’23), Judy H. Treviño and Matthew Hernandez in their commencement regalia.

DIAL OGUE

TELL US ABOUT

night shift, 8 p.m. to midnight, and then shutting down the station for the night. I had the “Crumley Singers” come in and sing Christmas carols twice on my live mic. Lots of fun.

Don Rogers (’89)

Terre Haute, Indiana

RAMBLING MAN

I just read my fall 2023 UNT publication — it brings back a lot of memories! Joe Greene and I were friends back in the late ’60s. Oh my, I just realized that was over 53 years ago! After UNT, I received two master’s degrees from Central Michigan. I worked in their intramural department like I did at UNT. I retired as a school administrator very young because while working for the UNT and CMU intramurals, both colleges were paying for my retirement, which I did not realize at the time. While being a community education director, I volunteered to build many of the parks in Niles, Michigan. Then I moved to Florida to do the same there.

In 2003, the Florida Parks and Recreation Association honored me with the State of Florida Volunteer of the Year award. Twenty years later, I am still volunteering and living in Sarasota County. Last year, I again went to Orlando to receive the FPRA Volunteer of the Year award. One more story — I met Joe Greene during the intramural weightlifting competition. We realized his apartment was next to the house I was renting. I purchased football coach Rod Rust’s old sailboat. We used to play handball when it was just a new sport. Enough rambling.

Terry Redman (’70)

Nokomis, Florida

We asked our UNT community, “What student orgs did you join while you were on campus? What did you love about it?” Here’s what some said.

@DamonGochneaur I walked across the stage twice at the Super Pit, graduating high school and @UNTsocial.To now enjoy that same building for @MeanGreenMBB championships … It’s special memories made across four generations of my family.

@gtfoulsham

I was a member of the Student Activities Committee, which chose the bands that would perform at NTSU each year. That’s me just offstage during the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 concert at Main Auditorium. We got to meet John Denver, Helen Reddy and The Association, among others.

@ZacisBadatViola

I loved my time in the North Texas Green Brigade! I made lifelong friends and learned leadership skills.

STAY IN TOUCH!

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TWEET US @northtexan

LIKE US on FB @northtexas

FOLLOW US on INSTA @unt

EMAIL US

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WRITE US

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Denton, Texas 76203-5017

Lovely trip to Big Bend National Park.

Thank you to UNT Outdoor Pursuits for putting on such a fabulous trip. We are so lucky to have had this be our first trip of 2024.

My life lately? I’m not really sure where to begin, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

3. @untalumniassoc

Just a few snapshots from the recent Mean Green Women’s Basketball

tailgate, where we also celebrated 50 years of the UNT Super Pit — thanks for bringing your North Texas spirit!

4. @sandra.castro We did it Bud! Well I did it. He napped.

1. @abbie._.g

1.

3.

2.

4.

2. @jake_levine03

BG

About 2,000 students and community members packed the Super Pit in February for a questionand-answer session with Ke Huy Quan, the star of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Oscar winner for Everything Everywhere All at Once. “I’m getting very emotional, but this is incredible, so thank you. And I just want to say ‘Go Mean Green!’” he said with Eagle Claw held high.

BRILLIANTLY GREEN

Solar Eclipse

Totality Awesome

UNT’s College of Science is getting ready for the solar eclipse April 8. Faculty, staff and students will be spread across DFW, including at UNT’s Denton and Frisco campuses, sharing knowledge on the day’s big event. Eclipse telescopes from UNT’s astronomy education program will be at both locations so visitors can safely get a high-powered view of the sun. If you can’t make it out, the College of Science also will stream the eclipse on UNT’s YouTube page at youtube.com/universitynorthtexas Learn more at unt.edu/eclipse.

At right, more than 1,000 people attended the College of Science’s viewing of the partial eclipse in October.

IN THE MED IA MEDIA

NEWS OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF MINNIE PAYNE (’23 M.S.) — the oldest person to complete a master’s degree at UNT, at age 90 — traveled far. Her achievement was shared internationally from Good Morning America and USA Today to popular news sites in Romania and Indonesia.

THE TEXAS UNIVERSITY FUND passed with resounding success in November. Forbes notes that the $3.9 billion endowment allows research universities like UNT to receive millions of dollars in state funding to boost their research capacity.

FORBES ALSO NOTED THAT HUMBLE LEADERSHIP leads to employee satisfaction and improved performance, citing an analysis of studies from researchers in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business — Jeffrey A. Chandler (’14 M.B.A.), doctoral student Nicholas E. Johnson, Samantha L. Jordan and Jeremy C. Short (’95 M.B.A.).

“LABOR IS REQUIRING MORE, land is costing more, the demand is up. Houses in North Texas are going to double in value within five to seven years,” real estate expert and business professor John Baen told CBS News in an article advising homebuyers what to look for in a tough market.

ELEVAR, AN INCLUSIVE POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, EARNED THE TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD’S 2023 STAR AWARD. THE AWARD RECOGNIZES HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE BOARD’S “BUILDING A TALENT STRONG TEXAS” INITIATIVE.

DATCU BRANCH

President Neal Smatresk, Scrappy and students joined DATCU leadership to celebrate the March 6 opening of DATCU’s newest branch in the UNT University Union. The branch opening is another step in the UNT-DATCU partnership, which renamed the UNT football stadium and made DATCU the official financial institution and exclusive credit union of UNT Athletics and the UNT Alumni Association. As part of the partnership, DATCU also is working to provide financial literacy training and seminars to help students develop the soft skills needed to successfully enter today’s dynamic workforce. “Our university community deeply appreciates the support that the DATCU partnership means for our students,” UNT President Neal Smatresk says.

Remaking History

When Curry Hall was renovated last year, several alumni made it happen. Built in 1912, the building underwent aesthetic changes as well as improvements to heating, ventilation and air conditioning.“It lived up to the whole ‘Mean Green’ aspect,” says Kirk Plum (’18,’18 M.S.), project manager and mechanical engineer with Baird, Hampton & Brown.“The building looks a lot better and embraces the historic nature of the oldest building on campus, but it will also save more energy. Now it’s a space that everyone on this project is proud of.” From left to right, Neely Shirey (’09), senior project manager at UNT Facilities; Carl Parsons, a mechanical engineer with UNT Facilities and the lead project manager; Plum; and Shelby Simmons Haney (’23), design specialist for UNT, stand in the building’s corridor. Read more at northtexan.unt.edu/curry-hall.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

UNT One Stop opened this spring, bringing a range of expertise spanning the entire enrollment journey — including admissions, student financial aid and student money management — to the Eagle Student Services Center. UNT was named a Fulbright HSI (HispanicServing Institution) Leader for 2023 — one of only 48 institutions named across the country. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program. ... The First-Generation Success Center received a $5,000 grant from the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association to support the center’s ongoing efforts in building first-generation student-centered programming.

PARTNERSHIPS

From Campus to Capitol Hill

Political science student interns in Washington, D.C.

Butoyi Gadi’s first introduction to politics was the 2016 presidential election. After losing a $10 bet with a friend about who would win, he went down the rabbit hole of polls and analytics.

Now, he walks the halls of the most powerful government in the world.

Gadi’s work ethic and charismatic nature helped him get accepted into the North Texas in D.C. program. Last fall, he interned for U.S. Congressman Colin Allred, the representative for Texas’ 32nd congressional district — which includes Gadi’s Dallas neighborhood of Vickery Meadow. His daily life consisted of answering constituents’ phone calls, writing memos, taking notes in briefings and giving tours of the Capitol campus.

“They call Washington, D.C.,‘L.A. for nerds,’ and I love that,” Gadi says.“I fell in love with the architecture, and just being in proximity to people who are making big decisions that impact our everyday lives was incredible.”

Gadi, a junior political science major at UNT, was only 5 years old when he immigrated to America. Born in a refugee camp to a single mother in western Tanzania, he worked hard to

acclimate to the culture while his family put down roots in America.

During his time on campus, Gadi has worked as an orientation leader and student coordinator on the orientation team. He says the experience of helping new students transition to UNT has taught him valuable leadership and communication skills.

Gadi’s favorite class was Campaigns and Elections, which is where he first learned about the NTDC program. He credits his political science professors Nichole Gligor and Gloria Cox for mentoring him during the application process and says his orientation program supervisor, Shaun Holloway, also inspired him.

Gadi, who is expected to graduate in spring 2025, plans to return to Washington after graduating with the goal of working on Capitol Hill or at a nonprofit. Once considered an unreachable dream as a refugee, he now realizes it is within his grasp.

“This opportunity broke down a wall of doubt when it comes to how I feel about achieving things,” he says.

— Katie Neumann

STAR STudENT

EV ENTS

“Everybody’s Bolos,” an exhibition co-organized by UNT professor Ana M. Lopez featuring 30 bolo ties crafted by contemporary artists, runs through May 10 at the CVAD Art Gallery in Room 160 of the UNT Art Building. Learn more at northtexan.unt.edu/bolos

24 18-21 1 16

The Fine Arts Series presents author Ottessa Moshfegh, heralded as one of the boldest voices in fiction and best known for her novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Visit studentaffairs.unt.edu/ fine-arts-series for tickets.

10-12

Theatre@UNT presents Fiddler on the Roof, the classic musical that follows Tevye, a village milkman, as he tries to maintain his way of life. Additional information is available at danceandtheatre.unt.edu/events

Dean’s Camerata with Symphony Orchestra and Grand Chorus will be presented by the College of Music at the Winspear Performance Hall at the Murchison Performing Arts Center. Ticket information is available at calendar.unt.edu/department/ college_of_music.

Cheer on the graduates as they take the commencement stage. Visit unt.edu/commencement/schedule for the schedule of ceremonies.

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Welcome to the fall semester. Students new to UNT can learn about orientation and other programs at studentaffairs.unt.edu/orientationand-transition-programs/programs/ orientation.

GIVING IMPACT

FORGING PATHWAYS TO EXCELLENCE

For Dr. Colin Meyer (’97 TAMS), the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science at UNT offered more than an education — it was a place of growth and camaraderie. As part of the tightknit community in McConnell Hall, Meyer enjoyed pizza-fueled study sessions with fellow students, earning that pizza money by tutoring UNT students in organic chemistry with his roommate for $5 a session. Amidst the academic rigor of TAMS, Meyer recalls always sitting in the front row of a standout U.S. history class taught by Mike Campbell — a departure from STEM subjects, but memorable for his compelling storytelling.

“I really enjoyed my time at TAMS. Fellow students become really good friends because you’re with them all night, all day,” Meyer says. “And the program helped me learn early that there’s always someone smarter than you.”

Meyer’s journey from studying hard and forming a community in TAMS to the forefront of biopharmaceutical innovation intertwines the transformative power of education and the enduring impact of TAMS at UNT. In November 2023, Meyer and his wife, Jessica, contributed a $1 million gift to TAMS, focusing on scholarships, outreach and facility improvements to foster accessibility and excellence.

TAMS, the nation’s first early college entrance residential program for gifted high school students, serves as a pivotal STEM education pipeline. After graduating from TAMS, Meyer went on to earn bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology from the University of Virginia, an M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and an M.B.A. from the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business. Meyer joined Reata Pharmaceuticals as its second employee in 2003, working to develop innovative therapies for patients with life-threatening diseases. He led development of Skyclarys® (omaveloxolone), the first approved treatment for Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA), an inherited, debilitating and degenerative neuromuscular disorder.

In reflecting on his career, Meyer emphasizes the importance of enrolling in TAMS and moving away from his hometown of Granbury, where there were limited academic resources at the time.

It was a summer spent working at the UNT Health Science Center that set Meyer on a trajectory toward the biopharmaceutical industry. Witnessing what was being done in cardiovascular physiology research helped him glimpse the boundless potential of scientific inquiry, laying the groundwork for a career driven by innovation.

“I always wanted to go to medical school and excel in my career, and there were few opportunities to differentiate myself in my small hometown,” Meyer says. “TAMS set me apart and pointed me down a great path with the help of many different and brilliant people.”

Through their generous gift, the Meyers aspire to create pathways to excellence.

“We hope to enable students from small towns like me, those who will excel in a rigorous program, to find TAMS and have the financial support they need to attend and succeed,” Meyer says.

With fond memories of studying in McConnell Hall and

From left to right, Jessica and Dr. Colin Meyer (’97 TAMS) with TAMS Dean Glênisson de Oliveira.

hanging out in the dining hall, Meyer is excited about the renovations his gift will make possible, enriching the student experience and creating a collaborative and technologically advanced space. The Meyers hope updating the facility will attract new students, inspire creativity and showcase the successes of alumni.

“We want McConnell Hall to be vibrant and inviting by adding technology and making it look more like a place that supports math and science,” Jessica says.

TAMS Dean Glênisson de Oliveira applauds the Meyers’ commitment to supporting students and enhancing the TAMS experience.

“This extraordinary contribution will serve as a cornerstone for the sustained provision of a world-class education for bright and motivated students,” de Oliveira says. “The gift aligns seamlessly with our commitment to cultivating a diverse and intellectual community at TAMS. By fostering an inclusive environment, we can ensure that deserving students, regardless of their financial background, have the opportunity to access an exceptional education that propels them toward academic excellence and future success.”

— Amanda Yanowski

UNT Day of Giving

Sights are set high to elevate the UNT community’s collective impact and engagement across the university when UNT Day of Giving 2024 takes place May 1-2, with early giving kicking off April 1.

UNT Day of Giving was established by the Division of University Advancement as a way for alumni, friends and supporters to contribute to areas at UNT that hold personal significance, fostering an environment for students to soar toward success.

“Through Day of Giving, our UNT family is making a profound impact on the lives of students and the community they belong to,” says advertising senior Ethan Gillis (above), who received an Academic Excellence Scholarship and a scholarship awarded to Eagle Ambassadors. “I’ve witnessed firsthand what the impact of a donor’s generosity looks like, and it’s safe to say

that one small act of kindness can make a big difference.”

The inaugural UNT Day of Giving in May 2023 raised more than $600,000 from the generous contributions of 900 donors. It also featured a “College Showdown,” where colleges and units competed to raise the most funds.

“Last year on Day of Giving, we were inspired to see so many members of the Mean Green family from all corners of the country support causes and areas of campus that mean the most to them,” says Brandon Buzbee, vice president for University Advancement. “This year, we look forward to increasing our reach and expanding our collective impact on the university and the lives of our students.”

UNT community can show their support May 1-2.

Designing Greenspace

UNT, city of Lewisville collaborate to provide equitable park access.

Learn more about UNT’s Tier One research. research.unt.edu

Researchers from UNT’s Advanced Environmental Research Institute helped the city of Lewisville with research and planning for its newest park in the high-density Triangle neighborhood.The 2.85acre Parque la Gloria, or Glory Park, includes a playground and open play space, fitness equipment, shade structures and benches as well as an onsite food market. Lewisville city leadership was so impressed with AERI’s thoughtful expertise for Glory Park that they invited faculty and students to work on the city’s Healthy Infrastructure Plan adopted in 2023. “It’s impressive to see how strong community relationships can snowball into collaborations,” says AERI associate director Lauren Fischer, who also is an assistant professor in UNT’s Department of Public Administration.

Above

researchers and representatives from the city of Lewisville stand in front of Parque la Gloria, or Glory Park.

CHECK OUT UNT’S

YOUTUBE SERIES, THE LAB, WHERE RESEARCHERS BREAK DOWN HOW THEIR RESEARCH IS REVOLUTIONIZING OUR EVERYDAY LIFE.

“All of us are using AI daily whether we realize it or not. It’s best that we start thinking more critically and understand more about its functionality and intent.”

— Anna Sidorova Chair of

the Department of Information Technology and Decision Sciences in UNT’s G. Brint Ryan College of Business, who is researching the intersection of humans and artificial intelligence from creation to use.

Learn more about how UNT researchers are harnessing the power of AI to transform a variety of industries. research.unt.edu/magazine/ innovation-fueled-ai

DRONE FACILITY OPENS

The UNT Advanced Air Mobility Test Facility opened this spring at Discovery Park, the largest research park in the North Texas region. With a sprawling 36,000 square feet, the drone research facility is the largest of its kind in the state and one of the biggest nationally. Drone facility users can analyze unmanned aerial vehicle technology, examining how specific maneuvers impact performance, exploring safety measures like collision avoidance, and testing communication between UAVs and stationary receivers on the ground or autonomous ground vehicles.“Drones and UAVs will be key in moving people and cargo much faster in our future,” says electrical engineering professor Kamesh Namuduri.“This facility gives our UNT experts, external research collaborators and industry partners the opportunity to shape the advancements of air mobility technology.”

LUNAR EXPLORATION

As NASA looks to explore new regions of the moon full of drastic temperature shifts and dusty terrain, it needs heat transfer coatings for its autonomous space vehicles that are lighter, more energy efficient and more capable of withstanding the fluctuating environments. Assistant professor of mechanical engineering Richard Z. Zhang is leading a team — including researchers at UNT, Texas Woman’s University and NASA — in developing these advanced heat transfer coatings made up of nano/ microscale materials that could be used in future Artemis exploration missions. These coatings could minimize dust collection on vehicles and control heat absorption or dissipation. The team also will focus on encouraging future STEM professionals to pursue careers in space exploration.

Understanding Cotton Plants

College of Science faculty Brian Ayre and Roisin McGarry (pictured below) are researching ways to increase the resiliency and productivity of cotton with a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant they earned based on their innovative project proposal and UNT’s designations as a Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution. They are focusing specifically on cotton bast fibers, which develop in the phloem or “inner bark” of the plant’s stem. Cotton bast fibers are an underutilized part of the cotton plant that could hold immense potential for industrial applications, such as an alternative to synthetic fiber derived from fossil fuels. Knowing more about these fibers can help cotton producers make informed decisions about the economic viability of the plant tissue and its possible applications.

Preserving Culture

A UNT project was one of only seven selected for funding by the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities as part of its Research and Development Grant Program and its special initiative, “American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present and Future.” With the grant, researchers from the UNT College of Information and UNT Libraries are examining the landscape of Minority-Serving Institution archives and special collections, to better understand what resources are available and needed as well as the current status of digitization efforts. “We hope this research can lead to a new information system that would provide centralized resources and repositories to MSIs to store and share these unique resources with the broader public,” says Brady Lund, principal investigator and assistant professor of information science.

Top Honors

Faculty have earned some top recognitions in their fields and prestigious awards to further their research.

DOE Early Career: Omar Valsson, assistant professor of chemistry, was the first UNT faculty member to receive an Early Career Award from the U.S. Department of Energy. He’ll use it in developing a new method to better predict the behavior and properties of polymorphic molecular crystals.

DARPA Young Faculty: Assistant professor of physics

Yuzhe Xiao received the 2023 Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to boost his study on the thermal properties of nanoscale wide bandgap semiconductors like gallium nitride and silicon carbide.

National Academy of Inventors: Wonbong Choi, professor of materials science and engineering, was inducted as a fellow in the National Academy of Inventors. Choi holds numerous patents in nanomaterials, especially their applications in rechargeable batteries, nanoelectronics and bioelectronics.

Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award: Professor Shengqian Ma, a global leader in nanoporous materials research, earned the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Physical Sciences from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST) for his innovative work in the field of decontamination.

The University of North Texas performs innovative, high-impact research addressing scientific, environmental and societal problems that contributes to the region and helps drive the state’s economy through intellectual capital and technological advancement.

UNT’s multidisciplinary research approach fosters collaboration and brings together diverse perspectives to solve challenges and develop the workforce of tomorrow’s Texas.

Learn more about innovative UNT research: research.unt.edu

C OMMITMENT TO DISCOVERY

Hitting a High Point

Mean Green alumni take home a trove of Grammy gold.

From a high school music teacher to a rapper to an opera singer, alumni from UNT’s College of Music had a big showing at the 66th Grammy Awards this February.

The 2024 Grammy Music Educator Award went to alum Annie Ray (’17), who teaches music in Annandale, Virginia, and started the Crescendo Orchestra for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She is a strong believer that public school music education can transform lives. “Everyone’s talking about Crescendo,” she says. “But it’s just a portion of our program. We meet everyone where they’re at — whether you are a refugee, whether you’re an English language learner, whether you’re a student with significant, severe disabilities, whether you’re just starting to play or an advanced player, whether you’re a parent or a caregiver.”

Ray got to attend music’s biggest night in February. During commercial breaks at the ceremony, she met celebrities and snapped pictures with them.

“Taylor Swift threw her arms around me when they told her who I was. Meryl Streep specifically said a music educator changed her life, and that will forever resonate and stick with me,” she says. “Billie Eilish made a video for my students and her brother Finneas invited me out to a future concert. SZA was very kind. Victoria Monét, who won new artist of the year — she and I had a great conversation since we both have littles. And then, Oprah! It felt like I was having an interview moment with her, where she kept asking me questions, and she seemed genuinely interested and gave me a big hug.”

The Grammys gave her an honorarium, as well as $10,000, which she will use to purchase cellos for the school. “I’m very honored to represent our Mean Green College of Music,” she says. “But it’s definitely been a whirlwind.”

Read more about Ray’s work. northtexan.unt.edu/2024-grammys

ALWAYS PROUD TO REP UNT. GO MEAN GREEN!”

— Phil McGraw (’76 M.A., ’79 Ph.D.) on X, formerly Twitter, who opened his studio in Roanoke, a suburb near campus. He is launching a new TV network called Merit Street Media.

Here are UNT’s winners from the 2024 Grammys:

Rapper Lecrae (’02) won two awards, one for best contemporary Christian music album, Church Clothes 4, and the other for best contemporary Christian music performance/song, “Your Power.”

Soprano Latonia Moore, who attended UNT in the 1990s, won for best opera recording for Terence Blanchard’s Champion, in which she was a principal soloist. Nathan Carlisle (’06) also was in the cast.

Roomful of Teeth, which includes Thann Scoggin (’04,’07 M.S.) and Cameron Beauchamp, who attended UNT from 1998 to 2008, won for best chamber music/small ensemble performance, Rough Magic.

Frank Greene, who studied at UNT from 1984 to 1987, played trumpet on Basie Swings the Blues, which won best large jazz ensemble album for The Count Basie Orchestra.

Two alumni — flutist Sarah Schettler (’98 M.M.,’99 M.M.) and bassist William Schettler (’99) – play in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, which won the award for best regional roots music album, Live: Orpheum Theater NOLA.

Percussionist Sean McDoniel (’99) performed on Some Like it Hot, which won best musical theater album.

Other alumni who worked on Grammy-nominated projects included David Portillo (’05 M.M.), who as a principal soloist was nominated for best opera recording for the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s The Lord of Cries. (Read more about Portillo on page 34.)

Dave Pietro (’00 M.M.) and Rob Wilkerson (’00 M.M.), of Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, performed on Dynamic Maximum Tension, which was nominated for best large jazz ensemble album.

A song by Tobe Nwigwe, who attended from 2005 to 2009, and his wife, Fat Nwigwe, is included on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Music From and Inspired By, which was nominated for best compilation soundtrack for visual media.

Shara Nova (’98) penned a pair of songs included on Austin ensemble Conspirare’s nominated album The House of Belonging, and three tracks on Carols After a Plague, by Philadelphia-based choir The Crossing. The works received nods in the best choral performance category.

Read more about the novel.

northtexan.unt.edu/turtle-house

The Value Gap: Female-Driven Films from Pitch to Premiere

Courtney Brannon

Donoghue

Based on five years of industry interviews and research, the assistant professor of media arts explores the challenges women face making movies in Hollywood.

Books

The Turtle House

As a student in UNT’s creative writing program, Amanda Churchill (’09 M.A.) learned to write about emotional truth, leading to the publication of her novel, The Turtle House Her grandmother, Mieko Kyosaki Gann, inspired the story, which depicts a Japanese war bride adjusting to life in the United States after World War II. Churchill fills a gap in literature, since few novels cover the culture shock and trauma Japanese war brides experienced.

“I didn’t know if it ever would be published, but I felt like I was doing it for my family and for my grandmother. I felt her story needed to be told.”

The Rock That Is Not a Rabbit

Corey Marks

The poetry of the award-winning University Distinguished Teaching Professor of English is collected in this book.

Waiting on Empire: A History of Indian Travelling Ayahs in Britain

Arunima Datta

Using case studies of Indian traveling ayahs (servants and nannies) in Britain, the assistant professor of history examines the history of “waiting” in migration.

NINE-TIME GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING VOCALIST AND SONGWRITER NORAH JONES, WHO ATTENDED UNT FROM 1997 TO 1999, RELEASED HER NINTH ALBUM, VISIONS , THIS SPRING.

A Serendipitous Role

Alum’s Oklahoma roots led him to a Martin Scorsese film.

Journalist Jezy Gray (’10, ’14 M.A.) grew up in Madill, Oklahoma, with aspirations larger than the rural town that raised him. After receiving his degrees in English at UNT, he went on to become the arts and culture editor for Boulder Weekly. Now he’s interviewing rock stars in Colorado and appears in Martin Scorsese’s Oklahoma true-crime film Killers of the Flower Moon.

He describes the process of landing the role as “the ultimate party story.” An online advertisement calling for a journalist in their 30s for a major motion picture captured Gray’s attention. Next thing he knew, he was in front of the cameras, sitting in a jail cell across from Robert De Niro.

As someone who comes from a long line of Oklahomans, Gray has a deep love for the Oklahoma Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the scenic land where Killers of the Flower Moon takes place.

“It feels like being a part of history and not just the history of American cinema, but also the history of the place that I’m from,” he says.

Read more about Gray’s time on the set. northtexan.unt.edu/jezy-gray

Camera Ready

Instant Film Society finds new life in an old school art form.

John Eric Muñoz (’12) hasn’t forgotten the bulky Polaroid 600 camera that his family used throughout his youth to capture snapshots of their life.

Muñoz, who earned a history degree at UNT and is the administrative coordinator at the UNT CoLab, is one of four alumni who sit on the board of the nonprofit Instant Film Society, an organization established with the goal of increasing awareness, accessibility and understanding of instant film analog photography.

Its regularly scheduled meetups, photo walks or “PolaWalks,” workshops and larger events are attended by amateur and professional photographers and others curious about the photography style and its equipment. In 2016, the organization launched PolaCon, the world’s first three-day convention dedicated to all things instant photography. In 2022, the event drew 300 attendees or “Polaroiders” from around the nation and beyond.

“We get together for multiple days, and we share knowledge and hang out and build relationships and strengthen the community” of instant-film enthusiasts, says Andy Odom (’05), an Instant Film Society board member who earned an English degree at UNT.

Learn more about the organization’s projects. northtexan.unt.edu/instant-film

Orbit of Literature

Ashley Schumacher (’15) got the tools she needed for her writing career at UNT. Her fourth young adult novel, In the Orbit of You, is out. Her path to publishing began when the English major came up with the idea for her first novel, Amelia Unabridged, as a senior — and she learned so much more. For creative writing classes, several professors required the writer to remain silent while their classmates were critiquing their work.

“I got ‘dragon skin’ at school from having to hear what I felt was my best work getting ripped limb from limb and having to sit there and just listen. It was maybe the greatest gift I got in my current writing career.”

Amelia Unabridged is about a teenager dealing with her best friend’s death. Her other books — Full Flight and The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway — are romances. One recurring theme is present. “I hope that readers of all ages feel that though my stories might deal with difficult topics like grief and loss, they ultimately bend toward hope,” she says.

Learn more: northtexan.unt.edu/ ashley-schumacher

Behind the Scenes

“I have always enjoyed the art of storytelling,” says Matt Walters, who majored in film studies and minored in physics while attending UNT from 1993 through 1999.

Four years ago, he was hired to create and serve as director of the Motion Picture Labs division at The Walt Disney Company. The collection of specialty filmmaking labs is located at the legendary Walt Disney Studios facility in Burbank, California.

Walters and the teams that comprise the Motion Picture Labs have a hand in the live-action film and television productions created by the company, including the wildly popular Marvel franchise, among others.

Last summer, Walters met with a dozen Department of Media Arts students who spent two weeks studying in Southern California as part of UNT’s first-ever Media Arts in Los Angeles program. He gave them an exclusive tour of The Walt Disney Company’s Motion Picture Labs.

“I saw it as an opportunity to give back and help younger people have an opportunity to do what I did,” he says.

Learn more: northtexan.unt.edu/ matt-walters

Sight and Sound

CEMI celebrates its 60th anniversary of cutting-edge work.

Late faculty composer Merrill Ellis changed the face and future of music studies at UNT in 1963 when he established the Electronic Music Center, one of the first electronic music studios in the nation.

In the six decades since its founding, the center, now renamed the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia, has produced countless hours of performancebased research and gained a world-renowned reputation. Today, CEMI’s breadth of research and artistic work from faculty and students spans disciplines from fixed-media computer music to interactive performance and mixed reality.

Now in its 60th year, CEMI is celebrating its trailblazing legacy while continuing to explore emerging possibilities in music and arts technologies.

CEMI’s contributions to experimental music and intermedia have been recognized around the world. From hosting internationally lauded guest artists and researchers to staging music conferences and festivals, UNT has nurtured important scholarly discussions and performances to advance the disciplines.

“CEMI has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of experimental music and intermedia,” says Panayiotis Kokoras, who has served as the center’s director since 2016.

Read more about the history of CEMI. research.unt.edu/magazine/sight-sound

BUILT FOR SUCCESS

AFTER NEARLY ABANDONING HIS EDUCATION DECADES AGO, AWARD-WINNING CEO WILSON JONES GIVES BACK TO UNT THROUGH HIS NAMESAKE CAREER CENTER.

TEXT BY LISA SCIORTINO | PHOTOGRAPH BY AHNA HUBNIK

Growing up in Denton, Wilson Jones (’85) would sneak into the former Fouts Field to watch his childhood hero, “Mean” Joe Greene, play football for North Texas.

A peewee football player at the time, “I always thought, ‘If I’m decent enough in athletics, maybe I’ll play at North Texas one day.’”

Years later, it was the North Texas men’s golf team that Jones played for as a first-generation student earning his bachelor’s in business administration. Back then, he also worked multiple jobs, which included driving school buses for Denton ISD and a back-breaking gig at a local tire store. As the pressures of his work and education mounted, he briefly contemplated dropping out of school.

“I was at my wit’s end. I was struggling with some things personally. I was not very proud of who I was,” he says.

During those difficult days, Jones could not have fathomed that he would go on to serve as president and CEO of Oshkosh Corporation, a multibillion-dollar manufacturer of military and other tactical vehicles. Nor could he have imagined that a career center within UNT’s G. Brint Ryan College of Business would one day bear his name. The Wilson Jones Career Center opened in Fall 2023, established through a $5 million gift presented the previous year by Jones and his wife, Jane.

Attending the center’s dedication ceremony last year, Jones said, “To get to the point where we can give back from the great blessings we’ve had is special, especially to give back to students who are kind of in the same boat that I was back then — first-generation, struggling and working their way through college.”

Jones admits he wasn’t a great student at North Texas and struggled in some classes, including a business course taught in the evenings by Dr. Charles Bimmerle. Following his work shifts, Jones recalls, “There were some nights when I would just run out of gas.” After “bombing” his midterm exams, “I was ready to throw up the white flag and quit.”

After class one night, Jones approached Bimmerle to tell him he was dropping out. Instead, the professor “didn’t let me talk. He said something to the effect of, ‘You don’t see the potential that I see in you. I think there’s a lot of things that you’re going to do in your career.’ At that point, I thought, ‘How in the world am I going to tell him that I’m quitting after that?’” Jones recalls.

“I went back to my room, and I looked in the mirror and told

myself, ‘You’re not believing in yourself right now, but there’s a guy who is a lot smarter than you, more experienced than you, someone who you look up to, who believes in you. Let’s go with him.’”

Jones put his nose to the grindstone, took heavy classloads and implemented a stronger work ethic that carried him through to graduation — and beyond. He continued driving school buses and at age 24 was promoted to Denton ISD’s assistant director of transportation — a role that helped him later to become national sales manager for school bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corporation. Following a stint with the Federal Signal Corporation, which makes street sweepers and emergency vehicle accessories, in 2005 he joined Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Corporation, which he helmed from 2016 through his 2021 retirement.

In 2018, Jones was named a top CEO by job and recruiting website Glassdoor. Three years later, he was honored with the UNT Distinguished Alumni Award and inducted into the G. Brint Ryan College of Business Hall of Fame.

Giving back is a priority for the Jones family. Early on, Jones says he and Jane knew they wanted to continually make a difference in their church and community as well as the lives of others. At UNT, the couple has previously created the merit-based Wilson and Jane Jones Endowment Scholarship, as well as the Wilson and Jane Jones Extra Mile Scholarship that is presented to students who work in support of their education expenses.

Their gift to the G. Brint Ryan College of Business to create the career center is the second-largest donation in the college’s history.

The career center provides guided career preparation for the college’s 9,500 students. Services available through the center include career exploration, resume development and critiques, workshops, mock interviews and assistance identifying internship opportunities.

Jones says having such a resource available when he was a student would have been a boon to his career, seeing as how he never had a resume of his own prior to starting with Oshkosh Corporation.

“With so many students, I’m sure it’s hard for professors to connect with them all. I know how Dr. Bimmerle connected with me. I don’t think he knew what I was going through, but somehow, he said the right things to me.”

Jones says he hopes the career center “enables students to get a head start and at the same time, get some encouraging words.”

DECADE OF TRANSFORMATION

UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF PRESIDENT NEAL SMATRESK, UNT HAS TRANSFORMED INTO ONE OF THE LARGEST TIER ONE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES IN THE NATION. THE FASTEST GROWING AND 3RD-LARGEST UNIVERSITY IN TEXAS, UNT TODAY IS A THRIVING COMMUNITY OF NEARLY 47,000 STUDENTS. AND WITH MORE THAN 85,000 GRADUATES ENTERING THE WORKFORCE DURING PRESIDENT SMATRESK’S TENURE, UNT HAS CREATED CAREER-READY, INNOVATIVE LEADERS TO PROPEL THE NORTH TEXAS REGION, THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE NATION FORWARD.

After a decade of leading UNT through incredible transformation, UNT President Neal Smatresk is planning to leave behind the presidency in August to focus on what he loves most — teaching and mentoring students.

Smatresk, who joined UNT in February 2014, says serving as UNT’s president has been the highlight of his career.

“When I first took on this role, I knew we had the potential to achieve great things, and because of the dedication, passion and hard work of our faculty and staff and the support of our alumni and community, we have flourished in ways that are nothing short of remarkable,” Smatresk says.

Under Smatresk’s leadership, UNT transformed into one of the largest Tier One research universities in the nation with a decade of record-breaking enrollment and has become the 3rd-largest university in Texas. In fact, UNT has been instrumental in shaping higher education across Texas — accounting for 52.3% of the growth in new enrollees at state public universities since 2019.

Notably, UNT’s record-breaking enrollment numbers for the past five consecutive years are coupled with a rising number of degrees conferred. In the past two years alone, UNT has awarded nearly 24,000 new degrees. In the last decade, more than 85,000 graduates have entered the workforce, making a monumental impact on the economy.

During Smatresk’s tenure, UNT has not just grown its student body and alumni ranks, but also has achieved many milestones — such as earning recognition in the Carnegie Classification as a Tier One research university, receiving Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution status, and then climbing from 118 to 86 among the best to become the highest ranked Tier One institution in the North Texas region.

“I am proud of the many notable accomplishments President Smatresk has made over the past decade on behalf of UNT,” UNT System Chancellor Michael R. Williams says. “He has created a strong foundation and legacy that will empower UNT to achieve great success in the years to come. We are thankful for his leadership and unwavering

commitment to UNT and our North Texas community.”

EMBRACING A CARING CULTURE

GROWTH: AT A GLANCE Percent change from 2014 to 2024

Total Enrollment

Smatresk’s focus on a caring community culture and the success of every student paved the way for significant strides in closing the gap in minority graduation rates from 7% to 2.2% and launching new programs to keep university costs affordable while ensuring all students have the necessary support through programming such as the UNT Food Pantry, the First-Generation Success Center and UNT One Stop, which provides better admissions and financial services.

30% (36,168 to 46,940)

Graduate Student Enrollment

98% (6,678 to 13,268)

Degrees Awarded

41% (8,186 to 11,567)

Smatresk doesn’t just want students to succeed while they are at UNT. He set a vision for UNT students to be as prepared as possible when they graduate, not just for their careers but for their lives. He focused universitywide efforts on strengthening educational excellence and creating career-ready graduates to provide Texas with a strong workforce while helping ensure students have the knowledge to achieve their professional goals. This included expanding UNT Career Center offerings through the newly opened Satish and Yasmin Gupta Career Center at the UNT at Frisco branch campus and The Wilson Jones Career Center in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. Programming and services also were expanded across the main Career Center.

“Dr. Smatresk has done a lot of great work for UNT and our community,” says Andy McDowall, UNT System student regent from 2022 to 2023. “What is really great

about him is that he really cares about the people he interacts He was very willing to show up for students and talk with students, and I appreciated that when he was with students he would always say ‘This is the best part of my day,’ and that’s the number one thing he got right. He really has that servant leadership mindset and understanding that he was here to make the university better and to create those paths for students to succeed.”

GROWING NATIONAL PROMINENCE

While the university was making strides for student success, Smatresk also led efforts to increase UNT’s national prominence to maintain its Tier One status and make the university more competitive with top-tier peers.

Since 2014, UNT added high-demand degree programs, made countless cutting-edge research discoveries, was invited to join the Association of National Research Libraries and secured record funding from major national agencies to carry forward UNT’s mission of research excellence.

In 2023, UNT reached $86 million in research funding — the highest ever — from national agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The support for UNT research only will increase thanks to Texas voters who overwhelmingly voted to approve Proposition 5 in November 2023 to create the Texas University Fund (TUF), which will help accelerate research innovation, keep top talent in

GRAD SUCCESS

Degree Holders Since 2014: 85,143

Potential Annual Earnings: $5.4 billion

Minority Graduation Rate Gap: 2.2% (7% in 2014)

Texas and propel UNT further into national prominence.

“I am a big believer in ‘leave it better than you found it,’ and Dr. Smatresk has definitely done that,” Chair of the UNT System Board of Regents Laura Wright (’82) says. “UNT is in an extraordinary position today after making advancements in enrollment and research growth during the last decade. He has been an innovative leader who has opened several new degree programs in really important areas and we are very grateful for everything he has done.”

EXPANDING UNT’S REACH

Part of growing UNT’s prominence meant creating important partnerships with numerous high-profile organizations, including the Dallas Cowboys, the PGA of America, Google and Amazon. UNT also increased its national visibility by joining the American Athletic Conference in July 2023 while joining forces with longstanding partner DATCU in a sponsorship deal that renamed the football stadium and made DATCU the official financial institution and exclusive credit union of UNT Athletics and the UNT Alumni Association.

Throughout the last decade, students have benefited

Greek Life Center opened

Eagle Express fixed-rate tuition plan introduced, the first of many innovative decisions to bolster undergraduate enrollment Class Concierge established to help seniors troubleshoot course scheduling roadblocks that could delay graduation

2014

University Union opened

Institutes of Research Excellence launched

Division of Enrollment created to implement strategic enrollment and recruitment strategies that promote sustainable growth and improve the quality and diversity of the student body

UNT Food Pantry created to help students battling food insecurity, and to date, the pantry has served 23,799 students

2015

from more than 17 major building or renovation projects designed to provide enhanced support in academics, athletics and enterprise. These included the opening of the new University Union, two residence halls, the Biomedical Engineering Building, the College of Visual Arts and Design, Texas’ largest Advanced Air Mobility Test Center, and numerous athletic facilities through donor support.

Perhaps the most visible building project came when UNT opened Frisco Landing, the first permanent, state-ofthe-art building on the UNT at Frisco branch campus. In 2016, UNT launched the new era of higher education by opening an off-site instructional facility at Hall Park in Frisco, a booming city in Collin County. The goal for the branch campus is to close the gap between higher education and industry to create increased opportunities for student learning and pathways for a career-ready workforce, Smatresk says.

“UNT is an engine for social mobility,” Smatresk says. “We’re the largest and most comprehensive institution of higher education in the North Texas region and the third largest in Texas. There is no doubt that UNT is paving the way to meet the needs of the entire North Texas region and helping drive Texas’ evolving economy, and I am proud to have helped propel our great university forward.”

Tier One research status earned from Carnegie Classification

Began harnessing technology to increase efficiencies and improve the student experience

UNT’s service to students in Collin County expanded with the opening of UNT at Frisco

2016

Diamond Eagles Society founded by Debbie Smatresk and Cathy Bryce (’91 Ed.D.)

UNT named Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), adding additional progr amming with future gifts totaling $2M from the Bernard Osher Foundation

Intense collegelevel work began to improve retention and reduce time to degree, paying particular attention to differences in outcomes based on gender and race/ethnicity

2017

Super Pit concourse renovated

Excellence Scholarships redesigned to become more competitive in the market and promote affordability

Sage Hall renovated to become the Academic Success Center and home to student tutoring, advising, resources and support services

2018

Center for Agile and Adaptive Additive Manufacturing launched with $10M appropriation from the Texas Legislature

Start Green Stay Green initiative launched to ensure financial challenges do not inhibit a student’s retention

UNT named a Top 10 U.S. Public University on the Rise by College Gazette

Welcome Center opened

Alumnus G. Brint Ryan gifted $30M

New endowed chair and additional funding for academic program initiatives were made possible through UNT’s largest-ever gift, which also named the G. Brint Ryan College of Business

2019

‘Navigate’ student success and predictive analytics platform launched to increase student retention

Best Practice Incentive Program launched for freshmen

Transfer Excellence Scholarships announced and overall scholarship funds redistributed to benefit a greater number of students

Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution designations granted

Continued enrollment growth with virtually no disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the strong UNT team working together to serve students and overcome the most challenging times in modern history

Launched ELEVAR, Texas’ second program for young adults with intellectual disabilities, and in 2023, the program earned the Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

First-Generation Success Center established bienvenidos.unt.edu, a Spanish-language welcome website, launched, serving more than 8,000 users to date

Rose from 118th to 86th in Carnegie Tier One rankings, making UNT the highestranked Carnegie institution in North Texas

Launched Career Readiness First Year Seminar

Named an HSI Fulbright Leader by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Opened two new career centers: the Satish and Yasmin Gupta Career Center at UNT at Frisco and The Wilson Jones Career Center in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business

Opened the first permanent building at the UNT at Frisco branch campus, the first four-year institution in Collin County, offering 27 undergraduate and master’s level programs

Joined the American Athletic Conference

Received highestever total of sponsored project awards with more than $86M in funding from national agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation

Launched UNT One Stop to better serve students with admissions and financial needs

Proposition 5 overwhelmingly approved by Texas voters to create the Texas University Fund (TUF), a transformational investment in UNT, Texas higher education and the state’s economy, which will help accelerate research innovation, keep top talent in Texas, elevate UNT’s national rankings and propel the university to greater national prominence

Learning to Fail

illustrations by Luisa Jung photographs by Ahna Hubnick

In order to rise to the top, you sometimes have to face disappointment — or worse. Members of our UNT community tell us how the obstacles in their paths only made them stronger.

ACCIDENTAL REVELATION

Neal Smatresk

When he was a child, UNT President Neal Smatresk wanted to be a scientist. But, after he earned his degree in biology from Gettysburg College, he was unsure of what field to pursue and his journey took many different directions.

He was a photographer and a bartender. He worked in a model railroad hobby shop and an applepacking plant. He climbed and cut trees. He worked in construction. Then came the stop on his journey that would change his life — an electrifying job as quality control manager at a pickle factory.

“I had a near-death experience there,” he says. “After that, I knew it was time to get serious and pursue a path. That accident was a revelation.”

He decided to further his education and obtained a master’s and doctoral degree. He then began his career in biology in 1982 as a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he quickly realized higher education institutions needed to increase their focus on preparing students for careers. His resolve to make that happen led to another set of failures. As a dean at UTA, vice chancellor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he tried, unsuccessfully, to implement campus-wide career readiness initiatives. Those never took off.

Cue his arrival in Denton in 2014. As president of UNT, Smatresk made career readiness for students a top priority, investing in a career center, coaches and classes.

As he looks back upon the failures that led to his achievements, he says, “If you really believe in something and you know it’s right, each failure is just another step toward success.”

— Christiana Flores

Below Neal Smatresk’s academic specialty is biology and zoology.

Even if an outcome isn’t what you wanted, there’s learning value in that. It’s not failure.

VALUABLE EXPERIMENT

Narendra Dahotre

Narendra Dahotre recalls being disheartened with grant proposal denials as an early career researcher. He’d be glum when lab results didn’t go as expected either. Failure by its most basic definition is inherent in research, but Dahotre doesn’t see it as disappointment any longer.

“Even if an outcome isn’t what you wanted, there’s learning value in that. It’s not failure,” says Dahotre, a Regents Professor in materials science and engineering and associate vice president for UNT’s Center for Agile and Adaptive Additive Manufacturing, which is developing advanced material components for a range of industries.

With 18 issued U.S. patents, more than 300 published journal articles and contributions as an author or editor on 17 books, Dahotre has made significant contributions to the understanding and engineering of laser materials in processing and manufacturing. At UNT, his efforts have led to increased faculty and research funding in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as chair from 2010 to 2013, and a strengthening of UNT’s overall research enterprise through past Division of Research and Innovation

leadership positions. For CAAAM alone, Dahotre helped UNT secure $30 million in funding from the Texas Legislature. There have been naysayers and obstacles that could’ve held him back though.

“I tell my students to be patient, hardworking, reliable and to take rejection as part of the process,” he says. “Above all, you can’t give up, and that’s all true in life as well.”

— Heather Noel

STUMBLING BEFORE SUCCESS

Shirley Cothran Barret (’73,’74 M.Ed.)

As a student at North Texas, Shirley Cothran Barret (’73, ’74 M.Ed.) was approached by members of the Denton Jaycees civic organization who encouraged her to enter a local pageant, telling her it offered valuable scholarship money.

She competed in two Miss Denton pageants, but didn’t win.

“You have to sometimes stumble to be successful,” she says. “It worked out that way for me.”

She switched pageant cities, winning Miss Haltom-Richland, in the suburbs north of Fort Worth, in 1974. After she won that title, pageant organizers prepared her well for the next step. She perfected her talent — playing the flute — and

Right Narendra Dahotre is a National Academy of Inventors fellow for his lifetime research.

©2024 Luisa Jung c/o theispot

worked hard to get ready for other aspects of the pageant. In a matter of months, she was named Miss Texas and crowned Miss America.

After she finished her reign as Miss America, Barret earned her doctoral degree in education at Texas Woman’s University. She studied for her degree while traveling and finished it by age 26.

“When I do something, it’s pretty much 100 percent,” she says.

Barret pursued a successful career as a motivational speaker. She wanted to teach at the college level, but ultimately focused her time on raising her family. Her original goal in college was to teach at public school.

“But my life took a trajectory that I never even in my wildest dreams thought that I’d be doing. It’s been a great life. I’ve been blessed over and over and over again many times.”

— Jessica DeLeón

GOOD AND BAD

KeAyla Dove

Before each track and field meet, UNT senior KeAyla Dove prays with her grandfather and listens to worship music. After the meet, no matter the outcome, she gives her thanks to God.

At age 10, Dove discovered her natural ability for shot put, placing third in her first meet with little practice. As a middle and high school athlete, she continued to outperform her peers.

At UNT, the applied arts and sciences major set campus and Conference USA records — and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Trials, for which she is preparing to compete in June.

However, after a disappointing performance at the 2023 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championship, she was visibly upset.

“You can see in some of the photos, I was not happy. I was distraught and crying,” she says.

After taking time to reflect and

Read more about Barret’s time as Miss America at northtexan.unt.edu/shirley-barret.

©2024 Luisa Jung c/o theispot

David Portillo (’05 M.M.) earned a 2024 Grammy Award nomination for best opera recording in the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s production of The Lord of Cries. He also received the Medal of Excellence from the Sphinx Organization, which honors Black and Latinx classical artists. Read more about his career at northtexan.unt.edu/david-portillo.

pray, she realized she couldn’t let that one moment define her.

“I can’t do this without God, and I’m going to trust Him. I thought about a scripture, Isaiah 43:18 — ‘Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past’ — and how God uses everything for good.”

Good did come from the loss, as Dove’s performance secured a spot in the USA Nationals to compete as a pro. Amid failure, she remembers she’s still writing her story.

“The KeAyla Dove story has good and bad, and at the end of the day, how did I overcome the bad and how did I handle the good?”

— Christiana Flores

‘FAILURE IS NECESSARY’

David Portillo (’05 M.M.)

“Rejection and failure to me are completely different because failure is necessary; you learn from it, and learn to overcome it. Rejection comes from someone else, and this is nothing that you can control.

I learned that I can’t take things too personally; like jobs that I don’t get or competitions I didn’t win — they’re decisions made by others.

“There might have been somebody else whom they preferred, or somebody else maybe sang better. Not everyone will like my voice — it’s a subjective artform.

“The things that I can control are overcoming my failures. For example, I know whether or not I felt confident in my preparation. And can tell if I was not vocally at an optimum in performance.

“If I don’t feel comfortable that I had a balanced, efficient performance, then I can use technique and resources to overcome those failures, and I learn from that. And then I have to say, ‘Next time, I’m going to do that better.’ I know that I’ll be more prepared.”

— Interviewed by Jessica DeLeón

‘FAILURE IS A CONSTRUCT’

Cara Santa Maria (’04,’07 M.S.)

“I think that ‘failure’ is sort of the story of my life. I almost dropped out of high school and the only reason I started at a community college prior to going to UNT was because my guidance counselor at my high school negotiated with me. That was an almost-failure that we turned into something really positive and it launched me into an academic career that I might not have otherwise continued.

“I dropped out of my first Ph.D. program, which a lot of people might

Left David Portillo (’05 M.M.) has performed around the world and with such stars as Renee Fleming.

(Photo by Simon Pauly)

LuisaJung ©2024

Cara Santa Maria (’04, ’07 M.S.) is an award-winning journalist, science communicator, television personality and podcaster. She recently earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a concentration in social justice and diversity from Fielding Graduate University. Listen to her speak about podcasting at northtexan.unt.edu/cara-santa-maria.

Failure is a construct, right? It’s a very relative term…

Left As a senior, Cara Santa Maria (’04, ’07 M.S.) worked for a clinical neuropsychologist completing assessments and research, which inspired her to get a graduate degree in neurobiology.

consider failure, but it allowed me to have a really thriving career in television. And then COVID happened and my TV jobs dried up, but you know what? That allowed me to focus on my dissertation and I just got my Ph.D. and I’m 40. Some people would consider that failure, but for me that’s a huge accomplishment.

“Failure is a construct, right? It’s a very relative term and so much about ‘failure’ has to do with perspective, and what appears to be failure to some, I see as major successes in my life.”

— Interviewed by Scott Brown

LEADING THE AI REVOLUTION

HOW UNT’S ALUMNI ARE HARNESSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO SHAPE THE FUTURE AND EDUCATE OTHERS.

BY AMANDA LYONS

From the discovery of electricity to the invention of the cell phone, new technology has brought massive changes to everyday life throughout history. The latest technological revolution comes in the form of artificial intelligence and machine learning. As faculty at UNT are shaping future AI use through research and instruction in the classroom, UNT alumni are innovating ways to harness artificial intelligence in various industries from data science to the arts.

Supporting life sciences

As AI advancements in chatbots, image creation and robotics gain media attention, Qiang Guan (’14 Ph.D.), an associate professor at Kent State University, is focused on applications in education and medicine.

Two of Guan’s projects will help teachers and students. The first is the Extended Reality Initiative meant to help train future teachers on best practices in classroom management and instruction. A student teacher can put on a virtual headset for a 360-degree view of a prerecorded real classroom. An AI model, trained on data from experienced teachers going through the simulation, tracks the student teacher’s movements and notes what they pay attention to and what they miss compared to the experienced teachers.

“Student teacher evaluations are usually done with surveys, which can introduce biases,” Guan says. “With the AI, we know exactly what they did so we can provide better feedback.”

The second project aims to create an AI tool that can not only grade a student’s math homework, but also understand what concepts they have difficulty with.

“It could see a student may understand the concept of fractions, but they have a hard time multiplying fractions,” Guan says.

This tool is meant to save teachers time on grading and allow them to focus more on how they can help a struggling student.

In chemistry and medicine, Guan is collaborating with teams in both disciplines to create an AI model to simulate medicine and composite testing that could shorten a weeklong process down to a single day.

Guan reached out to his colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic to join the medicine research project after seeing the effects of COVID-19.

“During the pandemic, we needed medicines that could quickly end it. I joined this team to bring in more energy and effort toward the end goal. It’s like a mission to me.”

Lessening the burden

When Vishnuvardhan Veluru (’23 M.S.) graduated with a master’s degree in data science, he immediately found employment.

He currently works as a data science engineer at health insurance brokerage firm Allied Health.

“We’re researching how we can use AI and machine learning for customer acquisition and some other key business areas,” Veluru says.

He’s already created a flow of data pipelines, a software

that moves data from multiple sources to one central location, for the company and is hard at work on machine learning models to help with bidding during the lead acquisition process.

Veluru got his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, but switched gears to pursue his passion in AI by coming to UNT.

“I learned about data science, data analytics, machine learning and optimization,” Veluru says. “I joined the AI Summer Research Program at UNT because there were so many opportunities.”

Now he’s putting those lessons to good use.

“It’s me and one other data expert, so there’s always something for us to do,” Veluru says. “I enjoy being able to create models for different uses.”

He also created an AI that can produce a visual dashboard that shows business improvement, sales analysis and customer retention. This project took him about four months to build, but he doesn’t like to call projects “complete.”

“The optimization is always a work in progress,” Veluru says. “There’s always room for improvement when it comes to AI.”

The end goal is to make it easier for people to focus on the work that really matters.

“There’s always a chance for human error with data entry. We want to lessen that chance and make it so our sales agents can focus more on helping the customer and making real connections.”

Making the intangible tangible

While there are countless uses for AI when it comes to research and data organization, Diana Rojas (’23 M.F.A.) is using it to help in the creative process.

Rojas, an assistant professor in Art + Design: Media + Communication at East Central University in Oklahoma, creates large audiovisual installations, sculptures

and glass works. Many are themed around light, science or religion.

“I’m really interested in the histories between science and religion,” Rojas says. “I like to explore how these invisible things influence how we treat each other, ourselves and the environment.”

Amongst all her work, Rojas has used AI in a somewhat unexpected place — a series of stained glass works that reflects on the cosmos and religion.

“I used different AI programs to create vector files of stained-glass windows that were combinations of angels and black holes,” she says. “Then, I used those files as the base for the physical stained glass.”

To Rojas, it’s important the AI doesn’t become the focus of a work, but is used as a background tool.

“You can see digital art online and tell it’s made by AI, but I prefer transforming it and bringing it into the physical realm so it’s not alienating to a person,” she says.

For her next project, Rojas plans to keep using AI as a brainstorming tool. She hopes to continue making architecture-inspired sculptures that utilize AI.

She encourages other artists and students to understand how AI can affect art.

“The technology just keeps growing. We really need to adapt and educate ourselves on what it is and how it works. If we choose to use it, we should try to let it highlight our humanity. If we choose to not use it, we should also feel empowered in that decision.”

Making an impact

Gary Brotman (’93) journeyed from being a new journalism grad who dabbled as a DJ to CEO of Secondmind, a company working to revolutionize the automotive industry with AI.

His first run with AI, however, was back in the late ’90s while working with MusicMatch and the company’s Jukebox software, a music player on computers.

“We had guys on the team who developed an algorithm that paid attention to what you listened to — what got repeated, what got skipped,” Brotman says. “Then it compared those choices to all the other users to find new, eclectic recommendations. It wasn’t just a thumbs up, thumbs down system.”

Eventually, he joined Qualcomm where he became head of AI strategy and product planning. There, he built the Qualcomm AI Engine that powered AI-experiences processor chips in gadgets like phones.

“It was very interesting, but chips don’t really catch consumers’ interest,” Brotman says. “I wanted to work on something where I could create experiences and see their impact.”

That’s when he took the opportunity to move to England to join a new company, Secondmind.

Brotman first signed on as vice president of product and marketing and eventually became CEO.

The cloud-based AI tool they developed, the Secondmind Optimization Engine, helps engineers streamline the process of designing sustainable gas vehicles and electric vehicles.

“Our vision is to be the second mind of the engineer,” Brotman says. “If an engineer who knows about e-motors has a question about power systems in an electric car, Secondmind can help answer that question and point them to better design solutions.”

Brotman is excited for the future of the tool.

“It’s great because that impact is clear,” he says. “We’ll help the automotive industry transition to carbon neutrality, we’ll speed up the development process and our technology can be extended to help any industry with complex engineering.”

Brotman says Secondmind also will educate engineers across specializations — something he believes AI has the potential to do for everyone.

“I think the fast pace of education, irrespective of demographic, will be massive.”

Sharing the knowledge

As some hone their craft with the help of AI, others are working to share their knowledge.

James Bryant (’94 M.B.A.), with experience at Salesforce and Stanford Health Care implementing technology into their financial operations as director of digital transformation, is now a published author. He and his co-author, Aloke Mukherjee, recently published their book, The Future of Finance with ChatGPT and Power BI.

The book is a guide that explains AI and investing by empowering readers to make smarter investment decisions using ChatGPT and Power BI’s visualization tools.

“Our book simplifies complex concepts, ensuring readers at any life stage can leverage AI for finance. It transforms AI’s predictive capabilities into actionable insights,” Bryant says.

The first chapter provides readers with fundamental financial knowledge. The second dives into Power BI, a data visualizer with AI features, and how to integrate with ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot. The rest of the book highlights companies, such as Tesla, John Deere and Moderna, to explore investment opportunities within them, and how to integrate AI into those decisions.

Before the book, Bryant had already been working with AI. He and Mukherjee met while working at Stanford Health Care, where they found a practical way to use AI to solve a common problem: cash flow predictions.

“Hospitals have a hard time predicting how much cash is going to come in monthly,” Bryant says. “We used AI to make those predictions and the accuracy was anywhere from 95 to 100%.”

For his next steps, Bryant is looking forward to authoring another book on the subject with Mukherjee, which will educate non-technical professionals on how to use AI.

“We did this to help people understand how to use this technology and how it can create more value in their lives.”

THE MAKING OF A LEADER

A PART-TIME TELLER JOB AT DATCU STARTED UNT ALUMNA MELANIE VEST DOWN A HISTORIC CAREER PATH.

TEXT BY LISA SCIORTINO PHOTOGRAPH BY AHNA HUBNIK

More than two decades ago, Melanie Vest (’04) saw a job posted in the UNT Career Center for a part-time teller at DATCU’s downtown Denton branch. At the time, she could not have predicted that applying for and landing the position would mark the beginning of a career in which she would go on to become the first woman ever to serve as the credit union’s president.

Nor could Vest have guessed that she would someday play a significant role in establishing a partnership between UNT and the financial institution that would lead to the Mean Green playing football in what is now DATCU Stadium.

Sitting at her desk at DATCU’s headquarters in Corinth, Vest pondered what her younger self — then Melanie Arender, a junior who worked at the former 12-lane, drive-thru branch most afternoons and on Saturdays — would say about the professional success she has since experienced.

“She would feel like God’s hands were all over it,” she says. “I think that she would be proud of herself.”

Vest grew up in Santa Rosa, California, where her late father worked for an accounting firm and her mother was employed at a savings and loan. She frequently visited her parents’ workplaces and “fell in love” with the banking industry, especially “the quaintness of a community bank.”

After completing her sophomore year at Sonoma State University, north of San Francisco, where she ran on the track team and majored in business, Vest and a friend applied and were accepted to the National Student Exchange Program. It provides students with two-semester, studyaway opportunities at member colleges and universities throughout North America.

Enamored with Texas — as a child, she regularly visited her grandparents in Waco — she chose to spend her junior year at UNT, which formerly participated in the program.

It wasn’t long before Vest settled into her room at the former College Inn and began building social connections, particularly through a popular weekly faith-based program sponsored by Denton Bible Church.

It was at an event there that she first saw her classmate and future spouse Zack Vest (’04). The couple’s first date

in October 2001 was a Mean Green football game at the former Fouts Field. During the Spring 2002 semester, she began working for DATCU at what was then its sole Denton branch. “That’s where I fell in love with this place,” she recalls. After completing the student exchange program, Vest transferred to UNT, switched her major to sociology — “I’ve always loved community and people,” she explains — and, in July 2002, wed her husband.

Upon returning from her honeymoon, DATCU offered Vest a full-time, entry-level position in its accounting department, which she worked around her class schedule.

She and Zack, who also earned his bachelor’s in sociology, graduated together in December 2004.

Over the years, while climbing up DATCU’s ranks, Vest has held roles throughout the credit union — from accounting to human resources to loan processing and others — prior to joining its executive team in 2014 as executive vice president, chief financial officer. She was promoted to president in 2021.

Vest learned a valuable perspective about the credit union’s daily operations by working alongside many of the employees she now oversees. She frequently visits DATCU’s branches to socialize with and mentor its team members.

“People most of the time just want to know, ‘Will you take a walk in my shoes?’” she says. “I have walked in their shoes. I have done their jobs. I don’t know how I would do this job without that.”

Vest is also heavily involved in the communities that DATCU serves. She spent six years on the board of directors for both the Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas, which provides services to abused children, and Serve Denton, which partners with nonprofits to improve accessibility to services for those in need.

Despite her many personal and professional commitments, Vest and her family still find time to attend UNT events, especially Mean Green football games. In fact, she keeps a framed photo beside her desk of the family posing with Scrappy at the stadium on its 2011 opening day.

When she read a 2023 newspaper article about UNT’s search for a new naming rights partner, she immediately contacted DATCU CEO Glen McKenzie about setting a deal in motion. While entering into the partnership was “100% a business decision” for DATCU, Vest says she brought “a different perspective to it” as a UNT alumna.

“I am a product of the school,” she says. “I know the impact this university has on a community.”

Record Book Rubin

An unprecedented run of success for the Mean Green men’s basketball team has led to another broken record.

Over the last four years of suiting up for the Mean Green, senior guard Rubin Jones has contributed to a historic run of success for the men’s basketball program.

In Jones’ freshman year in 2020-21, UNT won its first conference tournament title — and as a result made its first NCAA Tournament appearance — since 2010. UNT also notched its first-ever March Madness win over 20th-ranked Purdue.

In his sophomore season, the Mean Green team set a new program record with 25 overall wins, made its first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament and earned its first NIT win.

Check out more sports news. meangreensports.com

Jones’ junior year featured a record 25 regular season wins, 31 overall wins (breaking the previous year’s record) and the team’s first NIT Championship.

As a senior, Jones is a team leader in the Mean Green’s inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference and has attached his name to another record. UNT’s 68-55 win over Tulsa on Feb. 7 was Jones’ 87th career victory, making him the winningest player in program history.

As he closes in on graduating with his bachelor of applied arts and sciences in May, Jones recognizes that even though it’s his name in the record book, he didn’t get there on his own.

“This is something I never imagined accomplishing and I still don’t think I’ve fully grasped the whole thing,” says Jones, who hopes to coach youth basketball when his playing days are over.

“This wouldn’t be possible without my family, friends, coaches and teammates. I’m forever grateful to them, this university and all the people I’ve met here.”

Day in the Life

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a student-athlete at UNT? Our new My Day in the Life at UNT YouTube series gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be an orientation leader, an undergraduate researcher and even a student-athlete.

See Cierra Swing

Step up to the plate with junior infielder Cierra Simon as she shares her daily routine as a member of the UNT softball team. See how many cups of coffee it takes to get her day started, why she chose to be a criminal justice major and how taking online classes helps her with time management. You’ll also get to see some of the workouts and practices that get the team ready to swing for the fences.

Watch the video. northtexan.unt.edu/cierra-simon

Clubbing with Cody

Get a private tour of one of the top golf practice facilities in the country with Cody Winkler, a senior on the men’s golf team. From the high-tech putting room to the augmented reality hitting bay to the CrossFit style workouts, you’ll see all the work that goes into keeping the team’s game up to par. Cody also shares why UNT’s B.A.A.S. degree program works for him, how he likes to unwind at the end of the day and how he really feels about veggies.

Watch the video. northtexan.unt.edu/cody-winkler

By the Numbers

2,473

The record number of UNT students in attendance at the Super Pit for the Jan. 25 Mean Green men’s basketball win over DFW-area rival SMU. It was the first meeting between the teams in more than two decades and UNT won in thrilling fashion, edging out the Mustangs by a final score of 68-66.

2024 MEAN GREEN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

AUG. 31 at SOUTH ALABAMA

SEPT. 7 vs STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

SEPT. 14 at TEXAS TECH

SEPT. 21 vs. WYOMING

SEPT. 28 vs TULSA

OCT. 12 at FLORIDA ATLANTIC

OCT. 19 at MEMPHIS

OCT. 26 vs. TULANE

NOV. 9 vs ARMY

NOV. 15 at UTSA

NOV. 23 vs. EAST CAROLINA

NOV. 30 at TEMPLE

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

Early Returns

Jason Burton’s tenure as Mean Green women’s basketball head coach is off to a historic start after the team claimed a share of the AAC Regular Season Championship, its first conference title since 1986. The team won 10 of its first 11 games, including a program record-tying, eight-game win streak. After a couple of road losses, the squad went on a seven-game win streak that ended with Burton becoming the winningest first-year head coach in program history following the team’s 17th win of the season. Making the achievement all the more impressive: The record was broken with a third of the regular season remaining. In that final third of the season, the team set a new program record for regular season wins with their 20th victory Feb. 24 before breaking the record for overall wins (with the postseason still ahead of them) March 2 when they improved to 22-7. Burton was named AAC Coach of the Year.

“I knew with the right people we could build this program into something special, but never imagined it would come together like this so soon,” Burton says. “We’ve talked about two things all year — writing our own story and bringing the best version of ourselves every day in all we do. We said if we could do that all year, we would write an incredible story.”

While a student in the College of Music in the early 2000s, Michael League formed a band so he could play more than just traditional jazz music. That band, Snarky Puppy, has gone on to win five Grammy Awards and earn a cult following for its innovative sounds that combine jazz and funk. In October, League returned to UNT as an artist-in-residence for three days, teaching classes on everything from album making to composition and participating in a jam session with contemporary music ensemble the Zebras.

EAGLES’ NEST

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS 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 nest. Send your news to the North Texan (see contact information on page 7 ).

1964 JUNE JOHNSON HOGUE

(’67 M.Ed., ’82 Ed.D.), Lubbock, was honored for her 50 years of work as an educator with a scholarship gala in her name at Wayland Baptist UniversityLubbock in 2023. She served as a teacher and administrator for Lubbock ISD and a professor at Wayland and Texas Tech University. She is married to Jerry Hogue (’62).

1964 C.W. ‘CHARLIE’ SMITH, Dallas, wrote his 10th novel, Girl Flees Circus, which follows a young aviatrix who crashes her plane in a small town in New Mexico. Smith is Dedman Family Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Southern Methodist University and has also written a memoir and numerous short stories and essays.

GARY NICHOLSON, Nashville, Tennessee, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022. Gary, who attended North Texas in the 1960s, is a Grammy Awardwinning producer and songwriter whose hits include Vince Gill’s “One More Last Chance,” Patty Loveless’ “The Trouble with the Truth” and The Chicks’ “More Love.”

1974 JOE O. BARRERA (’76 M.M.), Los Angeles, California, composed the music score for the documentary South Texas Gentle

Men of Steel — Los Padres. Joe composes music for TV productions and documentaries and serves as an adjunct faculty member at two colleges.

1977 CAROLYN FINLEY (’81 M.M.), Saint Joseph, Minnesota, retired after 35 years of teaching on the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University music faculty as Professor Emeritus. She taught applied voice and diction and was the music director of the opera workshop. She produced five art song CDs during her career.

1980

JOHN WASSON (’83 M.M.), Dallas, released a new album, Chronicles, of his Strata Big Band on the MAMA Records label in 2022. A professional composer, arranger and trombone performer, he composed or arranged all the selections on the album, and it features several UNT alumni. He was a member of the One O’Clock Lab Band for three years, appearing on four recordings.

1982

A NEW LIGHT

Creativity has always been deeply rooted within Grecia Alfaro (’16). One trip to the thrift store sparked an idea to create handmade candles inspired by the beauty of Mexico.

In 2020, Alfaro launched her company, Luz y Tierra, after the candles became popular on social media. She encapsulates aromas inspired by nostalgic scents of Hispanic culture and adds new collections monthly.

“The candles are for anyone that wants to connect to a culture that is rich, vibrant and has many traditions,” she says.

When she came to UNT in 2012 as a first-generation, Mexican American student, Alfaro had to navigate the college experience on her own, which has shaped her perspective on life and owning a business. “When you go to UNT, you’re exposed to many different cultures and experiences,” says Alfaro, a College of Education alum.

MYRON J. BEARD (Ph.D.), Littleton, Colorado, wrote Santa Fe Deception and Dark Revelation, the first two books in a series in which psychologist Scott Hunter solves mysteries. He also is the principal and founder of Myron Beard Executive Consulting, which focuses on board and executive consulting. Read the full story. northtexan.

— Katie Neumann

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS

all in tHe Family

helped in her career with the workforce management company Kronos and Trinity Industries, which builds freight cars.

“What I enjoyed about my education at UNT, the parts that excited me, are what I use in my work today, especially the research aspect,” she says.

After graduating, Debbie met her husband, Bill Fladvid (’98), who was drawn to UNT by its affordability and magnetic appeal. He earned his radio/TV/film degree, gaining experience as a newscaster on 88.1 KNTU. He then obtained a teaching certificate at UNT and taught at Keller ISD. Like Debbie, he transitioned into the business world and is currently head of catering and customer relations at Chick-fil-A in Roanoke.

The family’s legacy continues with the couple’s son, William Fladvid, as he pursues a degree in game design and development. His lifelong love of music has led to him performing saxophone with the Green Brigade.

“He said, ‘No. You want to go to Denton. Go to North Texas,’” Dennis says.

In 1970, DennIs Raso (’86) took a lIfe-changIng tRIp fRom hIs Rhode Island home to Alabama to visit his uncle, Frank Buttler (’56). Frank lived in Texas after serving in the Navy and began his studies at North Texas. Fast forward to Dennis’ visit: A student at Rhode Island Junior College, he considered attending other Texas institutions, but Frank interceded. campus, and proposed to her after three dates. After graduation, Dennis continued a 41-year career at Coca-Cola. As special events manager, he was again connected to UNT working with athletics and auxiliary services.

And Dennis would continue the family’s path to a nearly seven-decade involvement with UNT. The four generations don’t just study here, but have become active in all aspects of campus life, even beyond graduation.

Dennis began work toward an education degree. The fit wasn’t right for him, so he switched gears to study business. While studying, he met his wife, Lori, who was visiting a friend on

Debbie Fladvid (’94), Lori’s daughter from a previous marriage, continues the family’s campus connection. UNT would shape her future in unexpected ways. Despite starting down the teaching path, she also detoured into business. Her passion for learning and problem solving

Through the years, the family’s connection with UNT has deepened as they contribute to its vibrant community. Dennis and Lori are prominent figures in UNT’s alumni network and members of the Diamond Eagles Society and President’s Council. Debbie and Bill are lifetime members of the Alumni Association, and William is now a student member. “UNT is such a big university, but feels small,” Debbie says. “You’re never lost. You feel home here.”

— Christiana Flores

lEgAcy fAmIly

From left, Dennis Raso (’86), Will Fladvid, Debbie Fladvid (’94) and Bill Fladvid (’98) show off their Eagle Claw at the University Union.

1983 JEROME M. BIERSCHENK (M.M., ’03 D.M.A.), Fort Worth, founded Voices of Fort Worth, a chamber choir specializing in a cappella choral literature, more than 10 years ago. He retired from Texas Wesleyan University, where he served as the director of choral activities and the chair of the music department.

1983 RANDY DRAKE, La Crescenta, California, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2022 for his work on East West Players Presents: Daniel Ho & Friends Live in Concert. He is an accomplished drum set and percussion performer.

1984 DIANE BOEGLIN MAYES, Krugerville. After 20 years of teaching elementary school, Diane and her husband opened an independent bookstore on Denton’s downtown square, Patchouli Joe’s Books & Indulgences. Her favorite UNT memory was going to the Student Union and picking out an album to listen to. “Someone behind the counter would put it on a turntable and give me a set of headphones. I would then find a seat and listen to the album as I worked on homework. An early form of sharing music — it was magical!”

1985 REBECCA S. BJORK (M.A.), Washington, D.C., is special counsel at Duane Morris LLP’s Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group in its Washington, D.C. office.

1987 JOY CHILES (M.B.A.), Plano, was named senior vice president and controller of Jackson-Shaw, a national real estate development company. She

is a certified public accountant with 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate and energy industries.

1987 LYNN GRAVLEY (M.S.), Gunter, has partnered with REID KLOSOWSKY (’93), Chester, New Jersey, and Bill Maroney to launch Freight Think, a logistics-oriented advisory firm helping shippers improve efficiency. Freight Think was created in partnership with NT Logistics, the Frisco-based corporation Lynn founded and still serves as CEO. Lynn has served as a board member on UNT’s Center for Logistics and Supply Chain Management since 2013. He also received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021. Reid previously worked as vice president of global transportation for Bed Bath & Beyond.

1987 HUMAYUN I. KHAN, Frisco, is developing Auntie Anne’s Pretzels franchises. He earned his master’s of business administration in international business from the University of Dallas in 1989 and also attended a semester in Paris. He worked for PepsiCo from 1990 to 2009. He has fond memories from his North Texas days of living at McConnell Hall and eating at the Bruce Hall cafeteria.

1988

IRV FREEMAN (Ph.D.), Pittsburgh, is Professor Emeritus and chair of the Institutional Review Board at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. He joined the college as vice president for its location in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, LECOM at Seton Hill, in 2008. He previously worked at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, now UPMC Mercy, and the University of Mississippi institutional research division.

WHEELS OF CHANGE

As a political science student, Wayne Beare (’97) immersed himself in various international studies courses and participated in organizations like the Model Arab League and the Organization of Latin American Students.

Today, he serves as director of global logistics for Mobility Worldwide, a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to providing mobility services to people with disabilities in developing countries. Recently, he led the distribution of Mobility Worldwide’s 100,000th mobility cart in Quezaltepeque, El Salvador.

“I recently initiated a strategic partnership with the Lions Club that is sending a container to both India and Nepal. These are the types of partnerships that I really enjoy creating. In the future, I want to continue to find more resources for Mobility Worldwide and increase its impact.”

— Nabeela Iqbal

Read more. northtexan.unt.edu/ wayne-beare

AlumNI PRofIlE

From Ring to Screen

WWE HALL OF FAMER KEVIN VON ERICH’S time at North Texas as a student-athlete may have been brief, but his family’s connection to UNT is stronger than the crushing grip of an Iron Claw.

Von Erich started at NTSU in 1975 and played under College Football Hall of Famer Hayden Fry. It’s a time he looks back on fondly.

“Oh, man, it was actually the greatest time of my life,” Von Erich says. “I loved hanging out with my teammates and it was just carefree. Yeah, those were some great days.”

His younger brother David also played football at NTSU, but the Von Erichs’ time on campus wasn’t limited to the classroom and the football field — three generations of the professional wrestling dynasty have plied their craft at UNT. Patriarch Fritz, who originated the infamous

Iron Claw finishing move, faced off against Nicolai Volkoff in the Men’s Gym in 1973; Kevin and his brothers wrestled in the Super Pit on a nearly annual basis throughout the ’80s; and Kevin’s sons, Marshall and Ross, stepped into the ring in the stadium after a Mean Green football game in 2018.

But beyond the peaks of the glory and fame the Von Erichs achieved in the ring during the late ’70s and early ’80s was a steep drop into a valley of tragedy and loss. By the time he turned 36, Kevin had outlived all five of his brothers. One died as a child and the other four died in a span of nine years, with three of those four dying by suicide.

It’s a story that was dramatized in the 2023 film The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich. Although he admits it isn’t entirely

historically accurate, Von Erich says the most important thing the movie achieved was showing the love the brothers shared, particularly in a scene depicting his brothers reuniting in the afterlife.

“That’s something I think about a lot, one day being together again,” Von Erich says. “When I saw that in the movie — Kerry and Mike and Dave and they see little Jackie — I got some tears in my eyes. That’s a beautiful thought to me.”

Since the events of the film, Von Erich left Texas for Hawaii, where he lived with his family for the better part of two decades. But in 2023 the family moved back to the Lone Star State, buying a ranch in Boerne, just north of San Antonio.

The Ironwood Ranch also doubles as an event venue for weddings, quinceañeras, bar mitzvahs and family reunions. Having experienced so much tragedy in his own family, Von Erich takes great pride in being able to help other families celebrate some of their happiest memories. He hopes that message of overcoming tragedy resonates with everyone who sees The Iron Claw.

“It’s a movie about the human spirit,” Von Erich says. “When a man’s down and he’s lost a brother and a few years later another and another and another, you could have every reason to duck your head and just say, ‘This life isn’t worth it,’ and just waste away. But when you overcome something like that, it makes you stronger.”

— Scott Brown

1988 JAMES WEBB (M.S.), Frisco, has published the book Redneck Resilience: A Country Boy’s Journey to Prosperity, which chronicles how he overcame business and personal tragedies and became a successful businessman. Initially an X-ray technologist, he attended North Texas while working as radiology director of HCA Lewisville Hospital and went on to own several medical companies and gyms.

1989 GERALYN MCCLURE

FRANKLIN (Ph.D.), Etoile, received the 2023 Max S. Wortman Jr. Award for Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship from the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship — their highest individual honor. Throughout her career, she has been a strong advocate for small business and entrepreneurship education, serving as a dean, associate dean, department chair, faculty member and advisor at various universities.

Get more of the UNT stories you love by subscribing to our new podcast, Happ y Friday, North Texas! With new episodes premiering every other Friday on your favorite podcast app, we’ll be covering all things UNT — from student orgs and unique courses to athletics and campus events to profiles of alumni, faculty and staff.

1990 DANA BARNES (’92 M.Ed.), Fort Worth, was promoted to deputy superintendent at Eagle MountainSaginaw ISD. She previously served the district as chief academic officer, executive director of education, curriculum and instructional services.

1991 JULIE ANDERSON (’91 M.S.), Dallas, was appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer for Susser Bank. She has worked for two decades with Texas Capital Bank and its parent company, Texas Capital Bancshares, where she served as chief financial officer and controller. She won the UNT Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.

1991 THE REV. KYEV TATUM, Fort Worth, was selected as a Racial Justice and Religion Fellow with the Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. He is pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, serves as the White House ally for the My Brother’s Keeper initiative and founded a tutor-mentor program at Trimble Tech High School.

1993 STACY CROUSHORN, Mineral Wells, wrote the book Camp Wolters: Mineral Wells & World War II about the military training center that held German POWs and pumped millions of dollars into the local economy.

1994 YINKA FALETI (TAMS), St. Louis, Missouri, has joined Ascend Venture Capital to work toward funding startups by founders from marginalized communities. Yinka earned a degree from the U.S. Military

Academy at West Point. He was a captain in the U.S. Army and led deployments in Kuwait. A graduate of the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, he served as prosecutor at the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office and litigation attorney at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner law firm.

1995 WAYNE H. STEWART JR. (Ph.D.), Pendleton, South Carolina, was named the Robert K. and Angela M. Freeland Endowed Professor of Management at Clemson University. The professorship is based on excellence in research, teaching and service, as well as contributions of leadership throughout the university.

1996 JENNIFER COLEMAN (M.L.S.), Pflugerville, was named a Spur Award finalist for her historical picture book Come ‘n Git It!: Cookie and his Cowboy Chuckwagon, which takes young readers along chuckwagon chef Cookie’s day of cattle drives in the 1800s. The award is given by the Western Writers of America for distinguished writing about the American West.

1998 CHRISTY COFFMANNIEVES, Edmond, Oklahoma, left the high school classroom after 23 years, where she has taught senior English and advised the school paper. She was named Oklahoma’s Newspaper Advisor of the Year in 2009, 2016 and 2019. In May 2023, she graduated with honors with her degree in educational leadership and serves as assistant principal at Santa Fe High School in the Edmond Public Schools district. She has been married for 24 years to fellow alum Norman Nieves (’95, ’98, ’02 M.S.) and they have two children.

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS

1998 LEE MARCUM (M.M.), Spring Hill, Tennessee, and his wife, Holly Lynn, have released their first album, It Is Well, which features hymns and patriotic tunes. The duo has developed a music ministry in which they minister to churches in middle Tennessee and beyond.

1998 MATTHEW MCGARITY (M.S.), McKinney, dug up his own personal time capsule that he made in 1997, just months before he graduated. Objects included the winding key for the pendulum clock hanging in Bruce Hall, a tin of Spam and his North Texas Premiere Soccer Association identification card. While at UNT, he was a member of the Residence Hall Association, Bruce Hall Association and Mortar Board.

1998 VICKY SANTIESTEBAN (M.A.), Hollywood, Florida, was named the John S. and James L. Knight Endowed Teaching Chair at Broward College. She has worked as an English professor at Broward since 2000.

1999 PRISCILLA STALEY, Allen, celebrated her 20th anniversary with Dallas College and is in a new position as director of multicultural marketing. She is a three-time firewalker in the Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within conventions.

VIKKI BARNES, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom, published the book Free Happiness, which gives practical tools for readers wanting to live their best lives. Vikki is an expert on positive psychology and founded the business, Positive Wellbeing. She came to UNT in 2000, during her sophomore year, to study psychology.

2000 JOHN WOOLLEY and BRETT ALLEN (’00), Fort Worth, celebrated the 20th anniversary of Woolley’s Frozen Custard, a business they opened in Fort Worth in 2003. Since its opening, they have served over 1.25 million scoops of custard, including UNT Mean Green — vanilla with mint and Oreos. When it comes to their time at UNT, they say, “We will always miss The State Club!”

2001 ADRIENNE E. FRAZIOR, Arlington, joined the law firm Polsinelli in its health care litigation and government investigations practice. She worked as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for nearly 10 years, and has served as an assistant chief of the DOJ Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Health Care Fraud Unit.

2001 TIFFANEY DALE HUNTER, Dallas, was named a 2022 Women in Business Honoree by the Dallas Business Journal. Tiffaney has worked in marketing and communications for over 20 years.

2001

YAKESHA JONES, Dallas, won Teacher of the Year for her campus, Southgate Elementary in Garland ISD, where she teaches 5th grade English language arts and reading and social studies. She has been an educator for 20 years and has taught in Garland ISD since 2017.

2001 JAY SCHAERTL, Dallas, was awarded Teacher of the Year for the second time for Uplift Atlas Preparatory in Dallas. He is the creator of a film program that Uplift Education has implemented across its network. Besides teaching, Jay has written,

REACHING FOR THE SKY

Cat Burleaud’s (’19) “office” is filled with greenery, with trails and hills in an area that receives nine months of snow and, she quips, “three months of summer, spring and fall.”

Burleaud, a recreation, event and sports management major, is a park guide for Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state, where she shows tourists the land that includes an active volcano, wildflower meadows and plenty of hiking trails. She also talks to groups in the evening, after the sun has set and the stars and galaxies are shining.

“That’s my favorite part of it — the feeling people get about the night sky,” she says. “The look of wonder or astonishment — it’s one of the best feelings and it affirms what we’re doing out there.”

Jessica DeLeón

Mean Green Pride

1 A FAMILY OF UNT ALUMNI celebrated their Mean Green spirit during the 2023 winter holiday season as the youngest member, Sarah “Eden” Norris, will become a freshman in Fall 2024. They are, from left to right, her grandmother Jeanette Parsons (’77), her aunt Cynthia Hawkins-Bowland (’69), her father Jay Norris (’92) and Eden.

2 CORINNE FRENCH (’16 M.ED.), DIRECTOR OF STUDENT AND YOUNG ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT, and Zach Yeager (’16 M.Ed.), assistant director of registrar processing, hiked Pikes Peak in Colorado last summer in their Mean

Green Gear and heard several shouts of “Go Mean Green!” from their fellow hikers. French and Yeager met in grad school and have remained friends.

3 KEVIN WILSON, A GROUNDS CREW LEADER, watches one of the campus’ resident squirrels enjoy a snack break at a table made by John McIntire, loading dock supervisor at the University Union. McIntire created the tables for his backyard and thought UNT’s furry friends needed a similar one at the entrance booth near the Hurley Administration Building.

produced and directed various films and plays and recently produced his first vinyl LP of original songs created for his band Spacebuckle.

2002 JOCELYN JANOTA

SEXTON, Dripping Springs, was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Austin for 2023. Jocelyn is the vice president of marketing at Growth Acceleration Partners, a strategic technology solutions partner.

2003 JACQUELINE HARVEY

ABERNATHY (’12 Ph.D.), San Antonio, works as a consultant for her firm, Provida: Public Sector Solutions. Jacqueline gave birth to her second child, Karen, in 2020.

2003 KARA DORRIS (’06 M.A., ’16 Ph.D.), South Jacksonville, Illinois, edited the book, Writing the Self-Elegy: The Past Is Not Disappearing Ink, an anthology in which 28 poets reflect on personal writing. An assistant professor of English at Illinois College, Kara has written two previous books, When the Body is a Guardrail and Have Ruin, Will Travel.

2004 ROSS KORKMAS, Mineral Wells, was awarded the Texas Hospital Association Pioneer Award for his creative and innovative management of achievements in managing a rural hospital or health care system. As Palo Pinto General Hospital’s chief executive officer since 2019, Ross oversees many initiatives for the 74-bed hospital and health care network.

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CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS

CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY

For more than a decade, Michael Morey II (’11 D.M.A., ’19 Ph.D.) walked the halls of UNT’s College of Music buildings as a graduate student, teacher and performer.

These days, as a patrol officer with the Dallas Police Department, he traverses the streets of the department’s Central Division.

Morey — who earned a doctoral degree in guitar performance and a Ph.D. in musicology, taught undergraduate music history courses and performed in numerous concerts on campus over the years — hails from a long line of UNT faculty and alumni.

His grandfather, George Morey, spent a quarter of a century conducting the UNT Symphony Orchestra. Morey’s parents also are alums as are several of his aunts, uncles and cousins. In 2010, the Morey family received UNT’s Generations of Excellence Award.

Read the full story. northtexan. unt.edu/michael-morey

While completing his Ph.D., Morey says he felt the need to challenge himself in a different way than before. Although he’d once aspired to land a full-time university professorship, he started to wonder if another career path might be a better fit.

Morey chose law enforcement because he felt it would offer the opportunity to connect with the community directly “as opposed to just connecting with the community in theory or on paper,” he says.

“There’s nothing like being able to tremendously impact someone’s life, maybe by saving their life or being able to save them from a significant loss of property. You see people in a different way, and they see you in a different way.”

— Lisa Sciortino

2004 LEAH SATTERWHITE BOWEN (’07 M.Ed.), Celina, along with her sister, Holly Brochmann, wrote the Feel Better for Little Kids books, a series about emotions and mental health for children that was published by Magination Press, the children’s publishing division of the American Psychological Association. Titles include A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers and A Feel Better Book for Little Poopers.

2005 PETER B. EMERSON (M.M.), Waco, composed the music for the concert work He Rules the WorldA Concert Telling of the Nativity Story, which premiered in Austin and blends song, narration and imagery to tell the Nativity story.

2005 BRADLEY FOLSOM (’08 M.A., ’12 Ph.D.), Denison, wrote the book Son of Vengeance: Searching for the Legendary Apache Rafael (University of Oklahoma Press), which explores the Apache historical figure. Bradley is a professor of history at the University of Texas at Arlington.

2006 MEGAN DIXON, Dallas, joined Clouse Brown’s team of executive employment attorneys, bringing her experience of handling litigation matters in discrimination, harassment and other issues.

2007 RD PATEL, Frisco, is chief financial officer for New Leaf Service Contracts Inc., which provides extended warranties and customer service solutions. In his seven years there, he has helped make New Leaf an employee-owned company.

2007 JULIE YU (D.M.A.), Oklahoma City, was named director of choral activities at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and artistic director of Canterbury Voices, Oklahoma’s premier symphony chorus. She conducts the Chamber Choir and Ad Astra women’s chorus in addition to teaching.

2008 ELIZABETH CAMPBELL

(M.S., ’11 Ph.D.), Spokane Valley, Washington, wrote 101 Career Myths Debunked: The Ultimate Career Planning Workbook (Routledge), a workbook for college students and job hunters that walks them through the entire career development process.

2008 MORGAN O’DONNELL (M.S.), Rio Rancho, New Mexico, received the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund Resiliency Residency Award to help fund her project, It’s Time to Talk: The Menopause Art Exhibit, which was part of the City of Albuquerque Resiliency Residency.

2009 AUBRA JEANETTE GANTT

(Ed.D.), Shreveport, Louisiana, was appointed as chancellor of Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana — the first female chancellor to be elected in the university’s history. She has over 25 years of experience in postsecondary education.

2010 RYAN BARRERA, Fort Worth, was appointed chief advancement officer for Camp Fire First Texas. Ryan oversees fund development activities, community engagement and volunteer management for the growing organization. He says two adjunct

professors at UNT “were instrumental in showing me that a career in the nonprofit sector could be a viable route for me.”

2010 GRANT HARBISON

(M.M.), Jonesboro, Arkansas, received a $25,000 national Milken Educator Award in 2022 for his many efforts as director of bands at The Academies of Jonesboro High School.

2010 DANIEL STEVENS

(D.M.A.), Starkville, Mississippi, has joined Mississippi State University as the head of the Department of Music. He has been a tenured professor and director of the Peery Center for Orchestral Studies at the University of North Alabama; president of the Alabama Orchestra Association; and artistic director of the Shoals Symphony Orchestra in Florence, Alabama.

2012 WILL HASTINGS, Dallas, was a 2022 finalist for Dallas Educator of the Year, sponsored by Dallas ISD. He heads the math department at H. Grady Spruce High School and took part in its Early College program in addition to achieving Texas Excellence Initiative and Teacher Incentive Allotment Distinguished status.

2013 STERLING CARTER, Columbus, Ohio, received the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s $20,000 Artists Elevated award for 2022. He is a videographer and cinematographer whose company, The Carter Effect, provides video production services.

A HELPING HAND

Every athlete knows that nothing is more important than the team.

For Tracy Eubanks (’84), the “Metrocrest” communities of Carrollton, Addison, Coppell and Farmers Branch are his team. Eubanks – a former nationally ranked handball player – is the CEO of Metrocrest Services, a nonprofit dedicated to bettering the community through housing stability, employment coaching, food assistance and more. With construction complete on the organization’s $20 million, 48,000-square-foot campus in Carrollton, he hopes it will serve as a one-stop shop for people in need.

“Our goal is to always treat those we serve with dignity and respect. Part of that is ensuring visitors to the Food Pantry feel comfortable selecting nutritious food for their family. We’ve built something so nice that people might mistake it for a grocery store.”

— Michael King

Read more. northtexan.unt.edu/ tracy-eubanks

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS

2013 EMMANUEL FASANYA, Dallas, is the owner and co-founder of Elite Alliance Physical Therapy, the first Black-owned, state-of-the-art physical therapy clinic in Dallas.

2013 HANNAH HANSEN, Dallas, joined the Dallas law firm Kessler Collins as its newest associate.

2015 LEWIS GILES (M.S.), Dallas, is the recipient of the 2022 Robert L. Oakley Advocacy Award, given by the American Association of Law Libraries for proposing a new policy in which the Dallas City Council voted to expand the availability of library cards to all educational institutions in the city.

2015 SIDNEY THOMPSON (Ph.D.), Fort Worth, wrote Kudzu’s Enormous New Life about the friendship between a chipmunk and German shepherd who team up to save the friends made by 3-year-old Owen. The character is on the autism spectrum and was inspired by Sidney’s son, who also is on the spectrum.

2015 HOLT ZAUGG (M.S.), Provo, Utah, edited the book Assessing Academic Library Performance (Rowman & Littlefield). He is assessment librarian at Brigham Young University and has led the assessment efforts for services, resources, space and personal relationships there.

2018 CRISTA BROCK, Euless, is area director for Velvet Box, a luxury adult retailer. She has worked as an executive administrator for The Confidence Group in Coppell and managed multiple locations of David Ryan Salons across Dallas-Fort Worth.

2019 DIANA NELSON VARNES, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was named one of the “50 Women Making a Difference in Oklahoma” by The Journal Record of Oklahoma City for her work closing the STEM gaps in the state. She was hired by the University of Oklahoma Innovation Hub in 2019 as programs lead for INTENT (Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship).

2020 RYAN CAMERON, DeSoto, directed the short film Forks in the Road, which follows a young couple in the South during a date night at a local restaurant. The film was accepted in the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival and the Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves Short Film Showcase, and it was a semifinalist in the Bassett House Pictures short film competition.

2021 ABBEGAEL SMITH, Corsicana, was named a recipient of the $8,500 Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship scholarship. Abbegael, who majored in international studies at UNT, plans to use the scholarship to pursue her law degree at the University of Pittsburgh with the goal of representing clients through the complex legal system.

2022 STAFF SGT. PHILIP ESPE (M.S.), Washington, D.C., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C., as a librarian, combining his careers in music and library sciences. A musician since age 5, he has earned several music degrees and has worked in a variety of positions, from a conducting teaching artist for the People’s Music School in Chicago to library associate for youth and family services for the D.C. Public Library.

SAFARI OF FUN

Dr. Taylor (’16) and Andrew (’13) Willis aren’t your run-of-the-mill, globe-trotting couple.

They met on a study abroad trip to Mexico and frequently travel. They’ve founded Worldwide Wildlife, which helps aspiring wildlife care professionals and young children learn more about the animal kingdom at area zoos through hands-on adventures in veterinary medicine, zoo husbandry and ecological education.

Taylor, a travel veterinarian, curates a rewarding experience for veterinary students, while Andrew, a cyberscurity consultant, takes care of the business side of things. The name Worldwide Wildlife says it all. The couple is aiming to form partnerships with zoos across the globe.

“Our ultimate goal has always been an international study program, tapping into the awesome zoos we’ve seen,” Andrew says.

— Nabeela Iqbal

Read

RETROSPE CTIVE

sTATE OF THE UNION

FOR THREE-QUARTERS OF A CENTURY, THE UNIVERSITY UNION HAS BEEN PART OF MOST UNT STUDENTS’ DAILY ROUTINES.

Whether they are there to grab a meal, pick up mail, attend a meeting or catch a set by the renowned lab bands in The Syndicate, the University Union — which celebrates its milestone 75th anniversary this year — is a hub for activities on campus. Much about it has changed over the decades, including the building itself. The current University Union opened in 2015. Its four stories are awash in natural light and Mean Green pride.

It’s a far cry from North Texas’ first Union. Replacing club houses that had been used for student activities, it was housed in a repurposed Army surplus center and the permanent Memorial Student Union building was dedicated on March 31, 1949. By the early 1960s, the student body had outgrown the space, so it was demolished and a new facility was constructed on the same site. An extensive 1976 expansion saw the addition of an indoor stream, the Rock Bottom Lounge and many other popular features.

Read more about the history of the University Union. northtexan.unt.edu/union-75

Mike Flores began working at the Union in 1992 as an audio-visual tech coordinator. He is now director of maintenance and operations at the University Union. “When I walk around, I tend to look at some of the things that remind me of when I first started working here,” Flores says. “The architecture is different from previous unions, but the people you come in contact with are the same types of people. They just love being here.”

Above A dedication ceremony, seen in a photo provided by UNT Special Collections, was held March 31, 1949, for the Memorial Student Union building — North Texas’ first Union. The University Union celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Bottom The back porch of the 1949 Union overlooked the Slab, a popular spot for dancing. This building also was the birthplace of the famous Union Coffee Cake. (Photo provided by UNT Special Collections)

FRIENDS WE’LL MISS

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

1940s

MARYLOU H. THOMPSON (’48), Houston. A biology major, she trained as a medical technologist and was later a watercolor artist who painted under the name MaryLou King.

1950s

JOANNA IRVIN PRUITT (’55, ’59 M.Ed.), Alvarado. For over three decades, she taught and was a longtime counselor in Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Arlington ISDs.

MARY HENDERSON WILLIAMS (’57, ’60), Denton. She taught elementary school in Austin and Denton and volunteered with several organizations.

MARGARET ‘BETTE’ PEROT (’58 M.Ed.), Dallas. Vice president of the Perot Foundation, she was a longtime educator with Fort Worth ISD. She served on numerous boards.

CLARENCE RAY ‘C.R.’ PENNINGTON (’59), Salado. A lifelong entrepreneur, he owned 18 retail clothing stores. In 1982, he and his wife, Joyce (’72), established The Joyce and C.R. Pennington Dance Education Scholarship at UNT for dance students seeking teacher certification. He was a member of the President’s Council.

1960s

JAMES ‘JIM’ FRANKLIN MCDONALD JR. (’60), Duncanville. He worked for

First National Bank and started State Farm Agency in Duncanville, which he ran from 1965 to 2022. His service in the U.S. Army Reserves in the 1960s included active duty in the 49th Armored Division. He and his wife, Claudia, were active members of the Chilton Society and established The Jim McDonald Endowment Fund to support UNT’s Department of Management. They also supported initiatives in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business and gave the lead gift for The Oscar N. Garcia Merit Endowment for College of Engineering students. An advisory committee member who helped found UNT at Dallas’ Innovation Center in Lancaster, in 2003 he received UNT’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

FRANKLIN PLYLER (’60), Little Rock, Arkansas. After serving in the Air Force, he attended college while running a Gulf service station in the Oak Cliff area. He had a sales career in the graphic arts equipment industry.

THOMAS GERALD CAMPBELL (’61), La Grange. He led high school bands to numerous awards and was a middle school principal. Active in his church, he was on a barbecue team named the “Holy Smokers.”

ANNE HODGES MORGAN (’62), Norman, Oklahoma. She gained national recognition as a UNT student when she and John Swaney (’63) won a televised debate competition. After earning her master’s, she worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. John G. Tower of Texas and earned her Ph.D. in

American history from the University of Texas at Austin. She was vice president for project development for the Kerr Foundation in Oklahoma City.

KENNETH P. DICKSON (’63), Lompoc, California. The biology major was a lab instructor who met his wife, Lucy E. Baker Dickson (’63), at UNT. He had a career in health care and served as a hospital administrator.

NELDA S. LEE (’63), Odessa. After leading Ector High School’s art department, she became a nationally recognized fine arts appraiser and gallery owner. A member of the Texas Commission on the Arts in the 1990s, she received numerous awards for her artwork. A scholarship in her name benefits students in UNT’s College of Visual Arts and Design.

HARRIS MIERS JR. (’63, ’65 M.B.A.), Dallas. He founded the consulting firm University Management Services and later established The Miers Group, a health care and insurance company, with his son, Harris Miers III (’90). A former college football player, he was an avid Mean Green Football fan.

DAVID RAY DUNNIGAN (’64), Dallas. He established The David Dunnigan Public Relations Endowed Scholarship for public relations students in the Mayborn School of Journalism. He was a member of UNT’s Chilton Society and served on the Mayborn School of Journalism Advisory Board.

JUDY RAINS JOHNSTON (’64, ’71 M.Ed.), Dallas. She went on to earn her doctorate and was an educator in Dallas ISD for 40 years, then served at Texas A&M University-Commerce and Dallas County Community College District.

RONALD LLOYD STEPHENS (’65), Edmond, Oklahoma. At North Texas, he was a member of Theta Chi fraternity. He was in the insurance business for 35 years and after retirement, a realtor. He met his wife of 50 years, Suzanne Nance Stephens (’66), at Voertman’s bookstore.

CLARENCE ‘RAS’ ALLEN III (’67), Midlothian. He attended North Texas on a golf scholarship and was the golf team captain from 1965 to 1967. He was the lowest-qualifying amateur golfer in the United States for the 1966 U.S. Open. He played on the PGA Tour from 1968 to 1974, participating in four U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and two Colonial National Invitations. He twice won the Northern Texas PGA tournament. He served as head golf professional, director of golf and club manager at several prominent U.S. courses.

PATSY SCOTT FRANKLIN, Denton. She taught career and technology at Denton ISD schools and enjoyed knitting and watching the Dallas Cowboys.

1970s

WINSON COTNER HINKLE (’72), Norwood, Massachusetts. He was second trombonist in the Florida Symphony Orchestra and taught jazz at Seminole Community College and the University of North Florida. He is survived by his wife, Ellen Hinkle (’75 M.M.)

GARY PAIKOWSKI (’73, ’74 M.L.S.), Dallas. A U.S. Army veteran, he worked for Grayson College for more than 40 years, first as director of the library and later as dean and then as vice president of information technology.

DANNY B. WHITEHEAD (’73), Sebastopol, California. He was a pastor for United Methodist churches in Kentucky and Texas and a hospital chaplain in Texas and California.

PAMELA ASHER (’75), Denton. A member of Kappa Delta sorority while at North Texas, she worked at the Denton post office and Texas Department of Insurance.

GERRY MCKENZIE (’75), Fort Worth. A psychology major, he spent much of his time with family and friends and always lit up the room with his wit, humor and big smile — and a good-looking shirt, belt and boots.

FLOYD EDWARD BECKEL (’77), Dallas. While at North Texas, he served his fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon, as treasurer and president. A marketing major, he ran an independent jewelry business.

DEANNA ‘DEE’ SEAL (’78 M.S.), Denton. She developed and directed early childhood education programs before opening her own preschool in Lewisville, where she taught until retiring in 2013. The Deanna Seal Early Childhood Education and Development Endowed Scholarship was established in her honor at UNT.

1980s

JACK P. RUSSELL (’83 Ph.D.), Bossier City, Louisiana. As a professor at Tarleton State University and Northwestern State University, he was a leader in the development of computer information systems and received awards for teaching.

INI EKPOENYONG (’85), Chicago, Illinois. An immigrant from Nigeria, she became a chiropractor and owned and operated a chiropractic medicine clinic.

1990s

KRISTI HODGKISS (’90), Paris. She was an educator for over 30 years and coached UIL speech and debate champions. She later became director of public relations for North Lamar ISD.

JAY POWELL (’93, ’93 M.S.), Denton. He worked for 29 years in the Lewisville Police Department and served as assistant police chief. He met his wife, Rhonda Powell (’95), at UNT during the first week of pre-season band.

2000s

ROSE MARIE BROWN (’07), Dallas. She worked for the United States Postal Service, was a masseuse and real estate agent. She was a member of the UNT Alumni Association.

2020s

SIMON HARRIST (’22), Sunnyvale. He was a graduate student in the College of Education with the goal of becoming a college professor. Simon wrote songs and poetry, played chess and guitar and spoke fluent German.

SEAN PORTER BUCKLEY, Denton. He was a rehabilitation studies/psychology student in the College of Health and Public Service who was dedicated to his family, church and community.

JACOB WILLIAMSON, Trophy Club. A post-baccalaureate biochemistry student in the College of Science, he was pursuing his dream of going to medical school. He had taught English in Vietnam and was a competitive swimmer who served as a lifeguard and swim coach.

FRIENDS WE’LL MISS

University Community

SHELLEY ALEXANDER, Corinth, was a member of UNT’s Kendall Society. She and her husband, John Alexander (’91), established the College of Engineering Senior Projects Innovation Resource Endowment (EN-SPIRE) to help support senior design projects. In 2019, the couple received the university’s Ulys Knight Spirit Award. An avid Mean Green fan, she wore spirit clothing almost daily, and her family, friends and fellow fans celebrated her life in the HUB Club at DATCU Stadium.

CHARLES ‘CHUCK’ BIMMERLE, Double Oak and Cincinnati, Ohio, was an associate professor of management who taught from 1976 to 1999. He earned his Ph.D. in 1976 and shortly after accepted a position at UNT. He served as mayor of Double Oak in the mid-1980s. Chuck’s legacy continues through the many lives he impacted and the passion he ignited in students, family, friends, neighbors and strangers alike. He spent much of his retirement volunteering within his community, at his church and in local nursing homes.

JOSE GUADALUPE CALDERÓN (’91

M.S., ’94 Ph.D.), Denton, was the instructional lab manager in the Department of Chemistry from 1998 until his retirement in 2022. He completed his graduate degrees in analytical chemistry at UNT and, as a lab supervisor, is credited in many theses and dissertations, especially for his expertise in mass spectrometry. He and his wife, Alicia Re Cruz, professor of anthropology and director of women’s and gender studies, met at UNT, and their three sons are current and former UNT students: Samuel (’20 M.A.); Gabriel (’22), chemistry graduate student; and Daniel, urban policy and planning major.

MILDRED CATHERINE ‘KATY’ DAWSON (’48, ’49 M.S.), Denton, served as an adjunct professor of Spanish and was a member of the President’s Council. A longtime member of the UNT Alumni Association and former president of the Women of UNT, she met her husband, the late David Dawson (’47, ’48 M.S.), during her first year as a student. She established the David F. Dawson Endowment for Student Excellence in his memory. All six of their children earned degrees from UNT. In fact, she was part of five generations of her family with ties to campus, starting with her grandfather, W.N. Masters, founder of the chemistry department.

HENRY ‘HANK’ LAMAR EATON, Tigard, Oregon, was a Professor Emeritus of history who worked at UNT from 1966 to 2010. He created and taught Great Books, a 12-credit-hour course in the great works of Western literature, philosophy and history, alongside instructors from the philosophy and English departments. Beyond his teaching and scholarly work, he was a Korean War-era veteran, a draft counselor to students during the Vietnam War, and an editor, cartoonist and cover artist for the community newspaper Denton Voice in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

ELLEN GRACE ‘GRACIE’ FUHRMAN, Muenster, was a member of UNT’s President’s Council. She and her husband, Alvin, founded The Gene Fuhrman Memorial Scholarship Endowment in Computer Science and The Gene Fuhrman Memorial Scholarship Endowment in Telecommunications Electronics in memory of their son, Gene Fuhrman (’86). Gracie had a 60-plusyear career in the telephone industry, including at Muenster Telephone, in which she and Alvin purchased an interest in 1961.

BETTIE PARKER GUSTAFSON, Millington, Tennessee, was a member of the President’s Council. A talented musician, she and her family established The Anna Louise Robertson Estes Memorial Scholarship in the College of Music in 2009. She loved shopping for antiques, listening to Elvis Presley, traveling out West and studying genealogy. She also was an active member of her church, playing the piano and singing with the choir.

DR. GLADYS JOHNSON HILDRETH, Denton and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was a former senior lecturer in UNT’s College of Education. She taught and conducted research on family development and human relations throughout a higher education career that spanned more than 65 years. She taught at UNT from 2006 to 2015. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Dr. Bertina Hildreth Combes, who was vice provost for faculty success and professor of special education at UNT. She was devoted to her faith and to her family, who say she believed that education was the answer to most problems. She also was known as an impeccable dresser and never lost a game of Scrabble.

BRENT JONES, Benbrook, worked at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science from 1995 to 2020. He was serving as TAMS’ assistant dean of admissions when he retired and previously worked as the academy’s director of admissions and director of scholarships and external affairs. He joined UNT from the UNT Health Science Center, where he served from 1988 to 1995.

ROY KIRKLAND, Denton, worked in Facilities maintenance from 2007 to 2022. He worked as a facility technician from 2007 to 2017 and then as a plumber until he retired in 2022. He grew up in the Cumberland Presbyterian Children’s Home in Denton.

MARGARET LAMBERT, Denton, was an administrative assistant in UNT’s housing department from 1977 to 1999. She was recognized with an outstanding staff award from then-Chancellor Alfred F. Hurley in 1988 for her work in updating procedures to make them more efficient — stepping up from her position’s usual duties without training. In 1999, she received the Southwest Association of College and University Housing Officers’ Bob Cooke Distinguished Service Award, recognizing her service, dedication and contributions to student housing. She also was active in her church.

TOMMIE COLLINS MONTGOMERY LAWHON, Denton, taught child development and wrote about family issues from 1969 to 2009. She taught in public school before joining the faculty at Eastern Kentucky University. After she married John E. Lawhon III (’53), she took a position as a professor at UNT, where she worked in the School of Home Economics and then in the College of Education when the child development program moved there. She was the first woman to receive UNT’s highest teaching honor, the ’Fessor Graham Award, was named an Honor Professor by the Student Government Association, was twice named a Top Prof by Mortar Board and received UNT’s Outstanding Advisor Award.

GEORGE PAPICH, Denton, Professor Emeritus of music, was a professor of viola for 33 years and named a Regents Professor in 1988. After retiring in 2000, he was an adjunct professor and director of the College of Music’s Center for Chamber Music Studies from 2002 to 2019, when the George Papich Chamber Music Studies Competition at UNT was named in his honor. As a young man, he toured Europe as part of a virtuoso string trio sponsored by the U.S. Army. He was principal violist for several orchestras.

DON SCHOL, Argyle, was a Professor Emeritus of visual arts and design and founder of the photography program. He worked at UNT for 41 years, joined the art faculty in 1969 and retired as associate dean for administrative affairs in what was then the School of Visual Arts and Design. He was hired to create the photography department and was a sculpture faculty member. Before coming to UNT, he was a team leader for the U.S. Army Combat Artist Team V in Vietnam. The sculptures and drawings he created are archived at the Smithsonian Institution. He is survived by his wife, Pamela B. Burnley-Schol (’89 M.F.A.).

JAMES ALFRED SIMPKINS (’70), Denton, was a business alumnus and staff member from 1977 to 2004. He worked in construction while attending North Texas, moving to retail management before starting a career with what was then known as the UNT Physical Plant. He served the university for 27 years, where his management and computer programming skills greatly helped foster innovation. He was an automation systems operator and plant engineer who transitioned into a supervisory position in the micro-maintenance shop, which built and repaired the desktop computers and servers used across campus. His sharp wit, generosity and humorous nature will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. Survivors include Gail, his wife of more than 60 years, who also worked at UNT.

NICK SLOAN (’05), Sunnyvale, a former adjunct professor in UNT’s Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science, served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a machine gunner and then earned a Bachelor of Science at UNT with a major in emergency administration and planning and a minor in legal studies. At UNT, he taught emergency management and disaster science from 2018 to 2020, the year he was diagnosed with ALS. He became active with ALS Texas, helping to lead a new vet-

eran support group, raising funds and shining a light on the research showing that veterans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS as the general population. He was inducted into the Texas Emergency Management Hall of Fame in 2022.

ROGER WARNER, Denton, Professor Emeritus of music, taught music education at UNT from 1976 to 2006. He mentored students and hosted a summer band camp for 10 years for middle school students. He taught instrumental methods and supervision courses and supervised student teachers in band. He also was a specialist in the comprehensive musicianship approach to public school music. He loved his grandchildren, who affectionately referred to him as “Grandpa with No Hair.” He was married to Wendy Warner (’81) for 48 years.

WESLEY W. WENRICH, Highland Village, a Professor Emeritus of psychology, joined UNT in 1970 to help build the clinical psychology program and taught in the Department of Psychology until his retirement in 1993. He was one of the creators of what became the health psychology/behavioral medicine doctoral program and co-wrote one of the earliest textbooks to use the term “Behavioral Medicine” in its title. His wife, the late Lindsey Paulson Wenrich, studied art, biology and English at UNT.

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

PERSPECTIVE

For nearly as long as UNT has existed, art and design education has had a presence on campus. Art classes were first taught here in 1893. In 2007, the program became UNT’s College of Visual Arts and Design. In celebration of its 130th anniversary, CVAD alumni and faculty members reflect on its impact and influence on their lives and careers at northtexan.unt.edu/CVAD-130 (Photos courtesy of UNT Special Collections)