the north texan - unt alumni magazine - spring 2015

S p r i n g 2 0 1 5 | northtexan.unt.edu | T h e N o r t h T e x a n 1nor thtexan.unt.edu

ART IN PUBLIC SPACES

[page 24]

A U N I V E R S I T Y O F N O R T H T E X A S P U B L I C A T I O N F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S

V O L . 6 5 , N O . 1 | S p r i n g 2 0 1 5

Ashleigh Smith [page 16]

Power of Research [page 30]

STEM Innovators [page 32]

Share your campus memories page 5

1 T h e N o r t h T e x a n | northtexan.unt.edu | S p r i n g 2 0 1 5

UNT researchers are working to protect and clean up the waterways in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. At the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area, faculty and students measure the

pollution in surrounding lakes and streams. But they don’t just collect data and make note of problems. Th ey work in local communities to educate the public to bring about needed change.

Th eir work has helped reduce the toxic chemicals polluting our public drinking water — a resource that’s precious to us all. At UNT, research extends beyond the classroom and is the

bedrock of a healthy and informed society.

Watch a video to learn how UN T researchers are helping to preserve water quality at research.unt.edu/water-quality.

RESTORING OURWATERWAYS

S p r i n g 2 0 1 5 | northtexan.unt.edu | T h e N o r t h T e x a n 1

Inside S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

D E P A R T M E N T S

F R O M O U R P R E S I D E N T • 3Workforce of tomorrow

D E A R N O R T H T E X A N • 4 Union Coffeecake ... Share your memories

U N T T O D A Y • 6First choice ... Ask an Expert ... Mean Green ... UNT Alumni Association

U N T M U S E • 1 8Grammy gold ... Happy performance ... Drumming up success ... Upcoming Events

E A G L E S ’ N E S T • 3 7 Swinging success ... Connecting with Friends ... Married and Counting ... Friends We’ll Miss

L A S T W O R D • 4 8John Lovelace (’52) remembers campus in the ’30s and the ’50s.

Art in Public Spaces ALUMNI ARTISTS SHARE THEIR TALENT WITH AUDIENCES IN PUBLIC FORUMS — CITY PARKS, MEMORIALS, AIRPORTS, MUSEUMS AND COMMUNITY CENTERS — WORLDWIDE, CREATING ART EXPERIENCES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE, ENGAGING AND REFLECTIVE. By Margarita Venegas

Cover: Jesús Moroles (’78) at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas. Above: Moroles’ Veteran’s Memorial in Albuquerque, N.M. Photography by Ahna Hubnik

24

FEATURES

16 Ashleigh SmithRecent Miss Black Texas’ jazz career launched with prestigious Sarah Vaughan

International Vocal Competition win. By Monique Bird

30 Power of Research With powerful research and industry partnerships, UNT impacts society and the economy.

32 STEM Innovators UNT’s Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science celebrates 25 years in preparing talented high schoolers for science and tech careers. By Jessica DeLeón

Ahna Hubnik


Online E X C L U S I V E S

northtexan.unt.edu/online

Connect with us at facebook.com/northtexas.

Follow us at twitter.com/northtexan.

Watch us on youtube.com/universitynorthtexas.

Follow us at instagram.com/unt.

Visit The North Texan online to:• Keep up with what’s happening between

issues of The North Texan• Tell us what you think about our stories• Learn more about your fellow alumni• Write memorials about friends we’ll miss• Enjoy an array of additional stories,

photos, videos and recordings

Interwoven AspirationsIN JANUARY, STUDIO ARTS LECTURER LESLI ROBERTSON LED A WEAVING WORKSHOP WITH LOCAL CRAFTSWOMEN IN KUWAIT AS A FULBRIGHT SPECIALIST AND AT UNT WITH STUDENTS IN HER ADVANCED WEAVING CLASS. LEARN ABOUT THE CREATIVE COLLABORATION THAT ENSUED.

When you see this arrow, join our North Texan community onlineat northtexan.unt.edu.

ONLINE FEATURES

DESIGNING WOMENRead about communication design alumnae who are mak-

ing their mark at top retailers including Ann Taylor, Victoria’s Secret and Fossil.

FEEDING UNTLearn how you can help support the Dean of

Students Offi ce’s new food pantry for students who fi nd themselves without the funds to buy food.

GO MEAN GREEN!Watch our video that captures the spirit of Mean

Green athletic competition, on the fi eld, the court, the track or in the water.

GET CONNECTED

Ahna Hubnik


F RO M O U R President

The North TexanThe North Texan (ISSN 0468-6659) is published four times a year (in March, June, September and December) by the University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #311070, Denton, Texas 76203-5017, for distribution to alumni and friends of the university. Periodicals postage paid at Denton, Texas, and at additional mailing offi ces. The diverse views on matters of public interest that are presented in The North Texan do not necessarily reflect the offi cial policies of the university. Publications staff can be reached at [email protected] 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 Relations, Communications and Marketing, 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 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, political affi liation, disability, marital status, ancestry, genetic information, citizenship, or veteran status in its application and admission process, educational programs and activities, employment policies and use of university facilities. Direct questions or concerns to the equal opportunity offi ce, 940-565-2759, or the dean of students, 940-565-2648. TTY access is available at 940-369-8652. AA/EOE/ADA

Created by the Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing

©2015 UNT URCM 3/15 (15-371)

Workforce of tomorrowOFFERING BEST EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN TEXAS

Michael Clem

ents

UNIVERSITY RELATIONS,

COMMUNICATIONS AND

MARKETING LEADERSHIP

VICE PRESIDENT

DEBORAH LELIAERT ( ’96 M.ED.)

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT

KELLEY REESE ( ’95)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DENA MOORE

DIRECTOR

KENN MOFFITT

MAGAZINE STAFF

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

JULIE ELLIOTT PAYNE (’97)

MANAGING EDITOR

RANDENA HULST RAND (’88, ’07 M.J . )

EDITORS

JESSICA DELEÓN

JILL KING (’93 M.S., ’00 M.A .)

ONLINE EDITOR

MICHELLE HALE

ART DIRECTOR

SEAN ZEIGLER (’00)

PHOTO EDITOR

ANGILEE WILKERSON

ADVERTISING

JILLIAN JORDAN (’05)

WES MARTIN ( ’01)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

ERICA BLOUNT

CLAUDIA COOPER (’06)

DONALD WILSON (’01)

DESIGNERS

LAUREN LEBRON

KIT YOUNG (’06)

PHOTOGRAPHERS

MICHAEL CLEMENTS

AHNA HUBNIK ( ’03)

GARY PAYNE (’99)

VIDEOGRAPHERS

CHRISTOPHER BRYAN (’08)

BRAD HOLT ( ’09)

WRITERS

MONIQUE BIRD (’10 M.J . )

ERNESTINE BOUSQUET

NANCY KOLSTI

LESLIE MINTON (’07)

ADRIENNE NETTLES

MARGARITA VENEGAS (’96)

MATTHEW ZABEL

ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS

JESSE GARRISON

NANCY KENT (’94)

ERIC VANDERGRIFF

STUDENT CONT RIBUTORS

CALEB DOWNS

AWO ENI

CRYSTAL HOLLIS ( ’13)

JASON ORTIZ

JOSHUA WILLIAMS

JEFFREY WOLVERTON

AS I LOOK BACK ON MY fi rst year as UNT president, I have a great deal to be thankful for and much to look forward to. UNT has felt like home since Debbie and I fi rst arrived last February, and the UNT community’s “can-do” attitude is fostering change and progress.

To start with, spring enrollment is up and, importantly, more of our students are taking more classes and consistently staying in school — auspicious signs for improving timely graduation success. To sustain this growth and progress, we’re creating new initiatives to make UNT a fi rst choice for the best and brightest, as you’ll see on page 6.

Once here, they fi nd a university with nationally ranked programs, high-quality and caring faculty, and more degree programs — or career choices — than any university in the North Texas region. Th ese are the ingredients that will make them successful college graduates and, in turn, will foster a strong workforce for the region and state. We’re focused on off ering the best educational experience in Texas.

Th is doesn’t just mean being great academically but also being a place of discovery and innovation — a hub of new ideas and solutions. We’re growing as a public research university that is defi ned by the STEAM disciplines — science, technology, engineering, art and math — because the arts are a vital part of UNT’s legacy and of any of these fi elds. UNT is a place where science and art converge, as you’ll read in our cover story about artists creating public art (page 24) and in our coverage on recent research initiatives (page 30).

As we begin to look forward to our 125th anniversary and the years beyond, it’s clear we need to chart a course toward tier one. I invite all of you to get involved to help us advance your alma mater and to help us reach the national prominence you all know UNT deserves.

UNT proud,

Neal [email protected]@UNTPrez

President Neal Smatresk visits with students at a UNT Symphonic Band rehearsal.


D E A R North Texan gowns were so hot that sweat

was running from head to toe. Presi dent J.C. Matthews, in

his last spring commencement before retiring, said he had what he considered a good speech but it was too hot and there was no way he was going to put us through having to endure his talk. He said, “Congratulations to all graduates.” Diplomas were presented and then everyone ran for the doors.

Linda Romer (’68)Houston

High school trio

I enjoyed the story in the winter issue on the Folk Music Club. At least three of the folks you wrote about, in addition to their history at UNT, graduated from Adamson High School in Dallas — Michael Martin Murphey, B.W. Stevenson and Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Bob Johnston (’62, ’65 M.Ed.)Dallas

Selfless graduate

The Rev. Kyev Tatum (winter 2014) continues to look out for others in very selfless ways. My Brother’s Keeper has been his job since before the program even existed. He is the type of guy who is always looking for

times a year. What a sweet reminder of my college days!

Elaine Wood Lloyd Hildebrand (’72)Bedford

The winter issue refer-enced the coffeecake at the UB. Funny how that scene and the heavenly taste was in me immediately. Where can I get that recipe?

Margaret Brewer Needle (’67)Chandler

Editor’s note: We’re happy to print that recipe again. You also can still find the coffeecake on campus during special events.

Sweating graduation

I noticed in the winter issue (“The Last Word”) that the 1964 graduation ceremo-ny was held in the Men’s Gym due to rain. For the record, the spring 1968 graduation was held in a gym as it looked like rain. It was so hot that everyone was fanning with whatever piece of paper they could find and wiping their faces to remove the sweat. Those of us in the graduation

Let us know what you think about news and topics covered in The North Texan. Letters may be edited for length and publication style.

Sweet treat

There was no better treat than the Union Coffeecake served at the Student Union Building. The North Texan published the recipe many years ago, and my husband and I make it about four

Online: northtexan.unt.edu

(follow the “Contact Us” link)

Phone: 940-565-2108

Fax: 940-369-8763

Email: [email protected]

Mail: The North Texan University of North Texas Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing 1155 Union Circle #311070 Denton, Texas 76203-5017

UNION COFFEECAKE

Cake:½ cup shortening1 cup sugar1 egg2 cups flour

Topping:¼ cup margarine, melted¾ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt¾ cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon¼ cup flour

Cake: Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk a little at a time, while mixing. Add vanilla. Pour into an 8x8-inch greased pan. Topping: Sift dry ingredients. Pour melted butter over unbaked cake. Sprinkle dry ingredients over top.

Bake in 350-degree oven until lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean. Do not overcook or topping will crack when served.


was a senior at North Texas. I was 1A in the draft, so my future seemed uncertain.

Upon graduation, I immediately began looking for a job, but no one would hire me because of my 1A status. After two weeks of pounding the pavement in Dallas, I returned to North Texas and talked with Dr. C.L. Littlefield, my industrial management professor, about my problem.

His words were, “I’ll get you a job,” which he did. I was hired at Consolidated Aircraft in Grand Prairie as a produc-tion planner trainee. If I remained in the training program for the full six weeks, I would be exempt from the draft because I would then be an essential to industry.

opportunities for young people and to bring us up along with him. He knows that our generation is the future of this country and allows young voices to be heard while giving his support and providing his resources.

He is an excellent man, friend and graduate of this university. While he was at UNT, he was very active and involved, adding a lot to programs that we benefit from today on campus.

Ian Campbell, international studies majorFlower Mound

Teacher and friend

The United States was at war in Korea in 1952, and I

However, after two weeks, I was drafted.

I will never forget what a wonderful man, teacher and friend Dr. Littlefield was and what his concern for me meant to me during that time.

I served in the Army, in Germany, for two years, then worked for Exxon for 33 years, took early retirement and bought a hardware store in Tyler. After 20 years selling nuts and bolts, I sold the hardware store last year. I finally retired at age 83 and now spend my time in my woodshop making furniture and toys for my grandchildren.

Thanks for the memories!

James Kirkpatrick (’52)Flint

Tell us about ... you and UNT

What would you put on a list of “125 Things We Love About

UNT”? Or what is your favorite campus memory from your

student days? What was Denton like when you were a

student here? Who was your favorite professor? What was

your favorite class? Do you have a favorite photo from your

time on campus? How did UNT change your life for the

better? Since our founding in 1890 as a private college for

teachers, we’ve grown into a public research university that

ranks as Dallas-Fort Worth’s largest and most comprehen-

sive university and the nation’s 25th largest public

university. Countless people and events helped shape us

along the way, and as we observe our 125th anniversary this

year, we want to remember and celebrate them. We would

especially like to hear your memories and thoughts about

your time on campus and gather up your favorite photos as we work on a special website and an

anniversary issue of The North Texan this fall. Email or write us at the addresses above, and look for

more information about our anniversary events on page 39 and in our summer issue.

@northtexan

We loved meeting #UNT19 and all of our future #UNT students at #UNTPreview. There are so many great students coming our way! #UNT #GoMeanGreen — Neal Smatresk @UNTPrez You know your college is awesome when the president of the college individually tweets to people who get accepted! @UNTPrez #loveithere #UNT — @AshleeRay3 Congrats to #UNT alum Lecrae for winning a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance or Song for “Messengers”. — @UNTnews Great talking with #UNT class today about impacting their community. Our city’s students are our best natural resource. — @KevinRoden No lie, it’s pretty awesome to talk football with fellow UNT students. #UNT — @JaredSoto48 I love my school. Forever a proud eagle!! #UNT — @jeannine_vargas Follow us on Twitter. We look forward to staying connected! @northtexan


Today Top Fulbright producer page 9

UNT IS COMMITTED TO REMAINING A university of opportunity as it attracts new students and enhances the quality of its programs. With an increased focus on student retention, strategic enrollment growth and more targeted recruitment, UNT is seeking to attract and graduate the brightest students, offering them a high-quality education.

“College is a life-changing experience, and a university education can make all the difference in one’s success, especially when that education culminates in a UNT degree,” President Neal Smatresk says. “We want to be the first choice for hardworking, talented students who will in turn lead the workforce in the region and state.”

FIRST CHOICE UNIVERSITY

UNT’s newest enrollment initiatives target the brightest students to create the best workforce.

Learn about university tours and watch

UNT’s virtual tour videos at tour.unt.edu.

Jonathan Reynolds


From top, Arlington ISD juniors in the top 20 percent of their class receive guaranteed UNT admission as part of Eagle Ad vantage; prospective students attend UNT Preview.

Eagle Express Tuition PlanLearn how UNT’s fixed-rate tuition plan locks in costs and helps students graduate on time at eagleexpress.unt.edu.

Eagle AdvantageRead more about the Eagle Advantage plan and who is eligible at unt.edu/eagleadvantage. Watch a video of the launch of the initiative at Arlington ISD at northtexan.unt.edu/online.

Oklahoma Tuition RateLearn how Oklahoma residents can pay about half the cost of out-of-state tuition at oklahomatuition.unt.edu.

Take a tourIf you know someone thinking about college, visit tours.unt.edu. Campus tours are led by students several times a day, Monday through Saturday, most of the year.

Learn more about applying to UNTTo learn about application requirements and deadlines, visit apply.unt.edu/admissions.

More bright students

This spring, UNT launched several initiatives to open up UNT to more college-bound students. Eagle Advantage gives high school juniors in participating school districts who are in the top 20 percent of their class guaranteed admission to UNT upon graduation. Arlington ISD is the first to partner with UNT on the initiative, and the program is expected to roll out across the North Texas region as more districts come on board.

The university also is expanding its reach, finding ways to create a bigger pool of college-educated talent. Starting in fall 2015, Oklahoma residents pursuing a bachelor’s degree at UNT will no longer pay out-of-state tuition. UNT’s new Oklahoma Tuition Rate cuts that cost nearly in half.

In addition to these initiatives, the university has created a new Division of Enrollment and hired a founding vice president, Shannon Goodman, who is leading the university’s efforts to achieve sustainable enrollment growth and expand UNT’s student population in new ways. (Learn more about Goodman on page 12.) The division is charged with improving the quality, quantity and diversity of UNT’s student body through effective enrollment management and strategic enrollment initiatives.

Plan for success

All of this builds on the work UNT has been doing to ensure students continue to get a high-quality, affordable education. Last fall, the university launched the Eagle Express Tuition Plan, a fixed-rate plan that helps students manage their costs and graduate in four years while saving them up to $4,000. With about 4,700 students taking advantage of the plan its first year, Eagle Express is the most popular guaranteed tuition plan in Texas.

UNT also is finding innovative ways to offer more merit- and need-based aid, targeting student populations such as National Merit Scholars and transfer students. UNT annually awards more than $320 million in financial aid, including more than $36 million in scholarships. About 78 percent of UNT students receive financial aid and scholarships. To improve the financial aid process, the university has enhanced the verification process so it’s shorter and more streamlined — changes that will take effect this summer. And more call center representatives will be added to answer financial aid and scholarships questions.

The initiatives are having immediate impacts. Spring enroll-ment is up over spring 2014. Students are taking more classes, and retention is better — all of which is expected to translate into more students graduating in four years.

“Public universities like UNT produce the workforce of tomorrow,” Smatresk says. “The more we do to give students a world-class education, the better off our economy will be.”

Michael Clem

entsAhna H

ubnik


Today

B R I L L I A N T LY G R E E N

Studying war crimes

Political science professors Kimi King and James Meernik are leading a survey sponsored by the United Nations to study the impact of war on victims

and witnesses of war crimes. The survey is from interviews and court testimonial experi-ences of victims and witnesses from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the U.N.’s first international tribunal for war crime trials.

The study examines what it means to “bear witness” before transnational tribunals and assesses how individuals are coping, if not healing, physically, mentally and socially since the

peace accords in the 1990s.King and Meernik, experts

on human rights, criminal tribunals, transitional justice and post-conflict security, began the work in July 2013. The preliminary findings were presented to top-level tribunal officials at The Hague, Nether-lands, last summer.

Tree Campus USA

The Arbor Day Foundation recognized UNT as a 2014 Tree Campus USA university

for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. This marks the seventh year in a row UNT has earned this national recognition.

To achieve the status, UNT met the core standards of tree care and community engage-ment, which include establish-ing a campus tree advisory committee, having a campus tree-care plan and instituting a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.

Pass it on: Great things are happening at UNT. Learn about them here and share our successes with your family and friends. • NFL Alumni Career Touchdowns. Brelan Chancellor (’13) and Craig Robertson (’10, ’14 M.S.) are making news in the NFL. Robertson, in his fourth year as a linebacker with the Cleveland Browns, was named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in recognition of his charitable work and excellence on the field. Chancellor, recognized as one of the best all-around offensive players in Mean Green history, made headlines for becoming a 2015 reserve signee with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Go Mean Green!

• Decoding STEM Success. UNT’s one-year-old Code Camp program, started by UNT’s Innovation Greenhouse, received a $20,000 gift from Verizon to build on its mission. Students in UNT’s Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science and College of Education participate in Code Camp to advance science, technology, engineering and math education. They teach Denton elementary and middle school students about computer coding by playing and customizing the popular video game Minecraft.

• Daytime Talk at UNT. The Ellen DeGeneres Show stopped by UNT in December to tape a festive segment after DeGeneres tweeted for UNT students, faculty and staff to dress like presents for a chance at getting on air. The UNT community made a strong showing with students, faculty and staff and community members dressed as gifts and holding signs at the Library Mall as they talked to DeGeneres live via satellite from her studios in Burbank, Calif.

Ahna Hubnik

Mic

hael

Cle

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ts


Distinguished lecture

Gen. Wesley Clark, former presidential candidate and author, spent 38 years of service in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of four-star general as NATO’s supreme allied commander.

Clark spoke at UNT in February as the guest speaker of UNT’s Distinguished Lecture Series, which introduces the UNT commu-nity to the excellence of world-class speakers whose messages enhance student learning outside of the classroom.

Since retiring from the military in 2000, Clark has taken on roles including investment banker, alternative

energy leader, author, network television military analyst and businessman. He shared with the audience his experiences and talked about his latest book, Don’t Wait for the Next War.

Clark’s numerous awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and honorary knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments.

Counseling award

Janice Holden, chair and professor of counseling and higher education, earned the Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person from the

American Counseling Association for her concern for the welfare of others and her passion to fight injustice.

Holden researches the transpersonal perspective in counseling, addressing experiences that transcend the usual personal limits of space and time, and advocates for treatment of people who have had transpersonal experiences.

Her primary scholarly focus has been near-death experiences. She is the editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies and served on the board of the International Association for Near-Death Studies for six years, three as president.

U N T P O R TA L H O N O R SThe UNT libraries’ Portal to Texas History has been named one of 30 finalists for the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The portal, at texashistory.unt.edu, provides access to online materials from more than 280 collaborating partners reflecting the records, history and culture of Texas and engaging a broad public audience. Ten National Medal winners chosen by the institute for exceptional service to the community will be honored at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C., this spring and receive a visit from StoryCorps, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving and sharing the stories of Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs. Share your story of how UNT’s Portal to Texas History has touched your life at facebook.com/USIMLS.

Gen. Wesley Clark spoke this spring at UNT’s Auditorium Building as part of UNT’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

U N T P R O U DThe UNT System is

one of the nation’s top research institutions

for Fulbright Scholars this year, according to a review by The Chronicle

of Higher Education, and UNT accounted

for four of the System’s six scholars. Texas’ only representation on the

list was from the UNT System.

Gary Payne


Today

Basketball, Hall of Famers, Green and White

Find the latest Mean Green news and schedules, and buy season tickets at meangreensports.com.

Phot

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Basketball tribute & Hall of Famers

George Dunham (’88), the voice of

Mean Green athletics for 25 years and a

part of the Mean Green Radio Network for

nearly 30 years, called his final game as

the Mean Green’s play-by-play man Feb.

26 during the men’s basketball win

against Charlotte. Dunham, pictured at

top right, retired from his play-by-play

duties but will continue as co-host of the

morning-drive show on KTCK Sportsradio

The Ticket. In his honor, KTCK broadcast

its afternoon show, The Hardline, from

the Super Pit and then broadcast the

game along with KHYI.

Dunham’s honors continue this spring

as he joins the latest class to be inducted

into UNT’s Athletic Hall of Fame. The

ceremony and banquet take place at

11:30 a.m. April 18 at Apogee Stadium in

conjunction with the Green and White

spring football game. Dunham enters the

Hall of Fame as the winner of the Fred

McCain Award, presented for contribu-

tions that have a major impact on the

athletic program. Also accepting Hall of

Fame honors are, from left, Willie Parker,

football; Judy Buckles Nelson (’80 M.S.),

women’s basketball coach;

Leonard Dunlap, football; and Walter

“Weasel” Johnson (’79), basketball.

For tickets to the induction and

banquet, call 800-868-2366. Admission

to the game, at 2 p.m. April 18, is free.

Hoops highlights

Mean Green men’s basketball was

hot on the court this season, putting

together a five-game win streak in

February before dropping the final home

game against Old Dominion Feb. 28.

The streak was the program’s

longest since March 2011, and the

team’s success was due in part to the

stellar play of the four seniors, Colin

Voss, T.J. Taylor, Armani Flannigan and

Jordan Williams.

The Mean Green entered the

Conference USA Tournament March

11-14 in Birmingham, Ala., as the No. 8

seed with high hopes for more stellar

performances.

The Mean Green women’s basketball

team also brought heat to the court this

season. The team earned back-to-back

wins against Florida Atlantic and Florida

International University in February.

Key players included senior guard

BreAnna Dawkins and junior forward

Acheil Tac. Dawkins’ outstanding play in

the two wins earned her Conference

USA Player of the Week honors.

The team needed a win against UTSA

in the last game of the season to clinch

the 12th and final seed in the

conference tournament, but lost a close

one, 57-54. They ended the season with

the program’s second-best scoring

defense of all time.


G L O B A L C O N N E C T I O N

>>

Partnerships with Mexico

Two new research partner-ships between UNT and the Mexican federal government will help UNT build on its reputation as a global partner.

In the first partnership of its kind with a U.S. university, Mexico’s General Archives of the Nation — the equivalent of the U.S. National Archives — aims to establish a new Center of Excellence in Research for Archives with the help of UNT’s College of Information.

As the keeper of Mexico’s government and historical documents, the General Archives of the Nation is considered one of the most important in the world. Funded by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), the archives will house the new center and provide researchers with worldwide access to its archival database.

An education fund for federal employees from the council will help the archives’

students and technical staff pursue a graduate academic certificate in archival studies, leading to a master’s degree in information science from UNT’s College of Informa-tion. The first 15 students will arrive at UNT in September. Faculty from UNT’s Depart-ment of Library and Informa-tion Sciences also will travel to Mexico to research and train with the Mexican staff.

“The new agreement speaks to the quality and relevance of the UNT archival studies program and will strengthen our relationship with Mexico,” says Gabriel Carranza,

assistant vice provost for global engagement at UNT.

Also this spring, a new partnership between UNT and the National Council for Science and Technology of the United Mexican States will allow 14 postdoctoral fellows from Mexico to conduct research at UNT.

The fellows, jointly funded by UNT and CONACYT, will work with UNT faculty researchers. The council’s total contribution to UNT is $350,000 in research support.

I N V E N T O R S F E L LO WRichard Dixon, Distinguished Research Professor of biological sciences, was named a National Academy of Inventors fellow, the second UNT faculty member to earn the honor. The professional distinction is given to academic inventors who “have demonstrated a highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.” Dixon’s research includes numerous projects in the area of bioproducts, including inventing a new, stronger plant-based carbon fiber, researching the impact of grape seed extract on Alzhei-mer’s disease, and developing more digestible and cattle-friendly alfalfa and improved bioenergy crops. In 2014, Narendra Dahotre, Distinguished Research Professor of materials science and engineering, was named a National Academy of Inventors fellow.

Gabriel Carranza, UNT’s assistant vice provost for global engagement

Gary Payne


Today

Green Pride

New enrollment VP

This spring, Shannon Goodman, former associate vice president of enrollment and student services at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, was named UNT’s founding vice president for enrollment. UNT’s new

Division of Enrollment — which encompasses undergrad-uate admissions and student financial aid and scholarships — is charged with improving the quality, quantity and diversity of UNT’s student population. He also will oversee the division’s budget, personnel, policies and procedures, and new program development.

Prior to joining UNLV, Goodman was managing partner for STK Consulting.He holds a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University.

New TAMS dean

This spring, Glênisson de Oliveira was named dean of UNT’s Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science.

De Oliveira has a history of enhancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics education from kindergarten

through 12th grade and at the undergraduate level in Rhode Island. His work has been funded through science and education grants from multiple agencies, including a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

He earned a Ph.D. in theoretical physical chemistry from Purdue University and most recently served as director of the Rhode Island STEM Center and as department chair and pro - fessor of chemistry at Rhode Island College.

Show your Mean Green pride on your ride

UNT license plates are one of the great ways alumni, students, faculty and staff can show their Mean Green pride on the go and help support student scholarships.

UNT partners with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to carry UNT-themed plates as part of its specialty plate program. The cost of plates varies depending on how they’re customized.

Kim Wendt (’11), executive director of development, says her personalized Mean Green plate is a way to celebrate the pride she feels for earning her bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences with a 4.0 GPA.

“As a longtime employee of 22 years at UNT, I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to obtain my degree as a non-traditional student,” she says. “My personalized plates, UNT 11, celebrate that degree I earned.”

To buy your own UNT plate and customize its lettering, visit txdmv.gov. Once on the website, follow these steps:• Under Motorists select Specialty License Plates.• Scroll down and select the University of North Texas.• Click Order and you are taken to myplates.com to create and customize your plate.• You can choose plates from a luxury series, custom series or standard design series.When you buy a UNT license plate, a portion of the proceeds from the cost of your plate will benefit student scholarships at UNT.

Share your own photo with your personalized Mean Green license plate to win UNT prizes at [email protected].

Ahna

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Smart car

How can businesses better understand how people use products and services? Many companies are turning to anthropologists for answers.

Nissan’s Research Center in Silicon Valley, which is researching self-driving cars, asked anthropology students to explore “the social life of the car” and investigate drivers’ behavior. Eighteen students in a class led by Christina Wasson, professor of anthropology, worked with nine study participants in interviews and ride-alongs in the fall.

Also, Susan Squires, assistant professor of anthro-pology, led a class to help Pitney Bowes investigate

people’s move experiences and the types of information that would make the move go smoothly. The 16 graduate students who conducted the research made recommenda-tions to Pitney Bowes to develop a moving mobile app to better meet people’s needs.

Kinesiology grants

Three kinesiology research-ers have received grants from the National Strength and Conditioning Association to study topics that may help athletes and fitness enthusiasts train more effectively.

Jakob Vingren, associate professor of kinesiology, is using a Young Investigator Grant to study how alcohol

consumption affects physiologi-cal processes in the muscles’ ability to recover from exercise.

Adam Venable, a biological sciences doctoral student, received a Doctoral Graduate Research Grant to examine the effectiveness of supplementa-tion treatment with curcumin, a yellow substance in turmeric, after muscle-damaging bouts of resistance exercise.

Danielle Levitt, a biological sciences doctoral and kinesiolo-gy master’s student, is using a Master’s Graduate Research Grant to investigate how alcohol consumption affects women after strenuous resistance exercise. Levitt and Venable are research assistants in the kinesiology program.

S T U D Y I N G H I S PA N I C H E A LT HFor three decades, researchers have pondered the Hispanic Mortality Paradox — why Hispanics in the U.S. tend to outlive non-Hispanic whites by several years, despite having, in general, lower income and educational attainment levels that are associated with shorter lives. Research led by John Ruiz, pro-fessor of psychology, suggests Hispanics live longer due to illness survival and recovery advantages. Researchers showed that Hispanic/Latino patients experienced lower in-hospital mortality and were hospitalized fewer days compared to non-Hispanics, a survival advantage consistent with the His-panic paradox. The study was published in the Journal of Latina/o Psychology.

Anthropology students in the classroom share their fieldwork insights.

U N T P R O U D UNT has been

named a Top School in the 2015 Military Advanced Education Guide to Colleges and Universities, which measures the best

practices in military and veteran education.

Ahna Hubnik


Today

................................................................................Ask an Expert

Intel talent finalist

Students in UNT’s Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science made a big showing at the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search competition, the nation’s most prestigious

pre-college science competition.Lily Liu, a second-year

TAMS student, was named a fi nalist, one of only 40 in the U.S. and the only one from Texas. She was recognized for her research investigating transition metals that could help catalyze the degradation of lignin, a substance that makes plants woody and fi rm. Liu conducts her research with Angela Wilson, Regents Professor of chemistry. Liu displayed her research and

competed against other fi nalists March 5-11 in Washington, D.C. UNT had six TAMS students, including Liu, named 2015 Intel semifi nalists, more than any other Texas school. (Read about TAMS alumni on page 32.)

Retail scholarship

Ashley Nudge, a sophomore merchandising and digital retailing major, was one of fi ve students in the U.S. chosen as a fi nalist for the National Retail

Federation’s Next Generation Scholarship, winning a $10,000 scholarship. Th e only fi nalist from a Texas school, she also was recognized at the NRF Founda tion Gala and attended Th e Big Show, the NRF’s annual conference in New York City in January.

Nudge is the fashion show producer for Merchandising Inc., a UNT organization for students who are interested in fashion, home furnishings and digital retailing.

Identity theft is diffi cult to prevent because thieves continually fi nd new ways to commit the crime. Many times identity theft occurs online,

and the thief may even be in another country. UNT police Sgt. Jeremy Polk says people need to know and respond immediately if their identity is stolen and be especially vigilant in protecting fi nancial information.

“Be a little OCD about your fi nances,” Polk says. “A lot of people don’t review their bank statements or they just log on to pay a bill and don’t look closely enough at the activity on their account.”

Polk conducts seminars for student groups on campus and others, off ering tips for preventing identity theft and for responding if it happens.

Protect and prevent• Don’t leave personal information like your Social Security number, date of birth, passwords, personal identifi cation numbers, birth certifi cate or bank account information where others can fi nd it.• Educate yourself about Internet fraud.• Be or befriend a trusty computer geek to help ensure that the information you store in your computer is protected.• Cancel unused credit cards.

Know when you’re a victim• Control your fi nances. Look closely at your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized charges.• Use alerts that banks and credit card providers off er to let you know if a large or unusual charge is made on your account.• Request credit reports regularly at annualcreditreport.com. You are entitled to receive a free credit report each year from each of the three reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Stagger those requests so you can receive a report every four months.

Respond quickly• Notify your bank or credit card company immediately if you see suspicious activity on your account.• File reports fi rst online with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint and then with local police. Th e FTC’s online form includes all the information local police will need to make their report, so fi ling that report fi rst can save you time.

— Matthew Zabel

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How can you protect yourself against identity theft ?


To join the association or learn more, visit untalumni.com, email [email protected] or call 940-565-2834.

Gary Payne

UNT has a long-standing tradition of recognizing the outstanding achievement, service and support of UNT’s alumni and friends. And as a special celebration of this year’s 50th anniversary of the UNT Alumni Awards, the awards program will move to fall 2015, coinciding with festivities planned for Homecoming and the university’s 125th anniversary celebration. Th e awards ceremony was traditionally hosted in the spring.

Among those honored during the last awards event was Distinguished Young Alumni Award winner Graham Douglas (’05), a top freelance advertising creative director. Douglas said the alumni awards are a “very meaningful” way to be recog-nized by your alma mater.

“North Texas shaped my world view and prepared me well,” he said at the 2014 ceremony.

UNT’s Alumni Awards showcase the high caliber of the university’s alumni and celebrate the depth and breadth of their professional accomplishments and service to the community.

“Th e alumni awards are among the highest honors the university bestows,” Rob McInturf, executive director of the UNT Alumni Association, says. “We want to ensure the accomplishments of our alumni are highlighted at an event where they can receive recognition from their peers while still allowing us the opportunity to celebrate the impact they are making in their communities and around the world.”

For more information about the alumni awards program, contact [email protected] or 940-565-2834.

SKYLIFE RESEARCHWhat’s the best way to drop emergency relief supplies such as wa-ter and cell phone bat-teries by air to people during disasters? UNT’s College of Public Aff airs and Community Service has teamed up with SkyLIFE Technology to identify novel approach-es and determine their potential for success. For the study, UNT stu-dents and faculty from the college’s emergency administration and plan-ning program will travel to the scene of disasters to research the provi-sion of relief, as well as how to mobilize and distribute humanitarian aid to those aff ected by war, terrorism, famine or natural hazards. Theresearch also involves ex-amining new technology developed by SkyLIFE.

Black academy archives

UNT and the Black Academy of Arts and Letters entered into a partnership that will bring even more recogni-tion to the contributions and accomplishments of African Americans in the cultural arts, such as Sarah Vaughan, Ruby Dee and Erykah Badu.

Th e academy’s archives, including posters, photos and recordings, will be housed in the UNT libraries’ special collections, making the infor -mation publicly accessible. Th e partnership gives UNT faculty and students and the public opportunities for research, education and publication.

Association president

Prathiba Natesan, associate professor of educational psychology, was elected president of the Southwest Educational Research Associa-tion, a regional organization dedicated to furthering the advancement of research in education. She initiated a paperless system by off ering the program schedule of the annual meeting as an app instead of a printed publication, and she is one of the founders of the junior faculty mentoring initiative for the association.

Natesan, who also is director of the College of Education’s Offi ce of Research Consulting, will serve as the organization’s president-elect and program chair for 2015-16 and as president for 2016-17.

UNT Alumni Association


Music alum and recent

Miss Black Texas USA

wins prestigious jazz

competition and enjoys

a career that is sailing

with soulful vocals.

She was two years into a full scholarship in classical music at a Georgia university when a professor challenged her to pursue her true passion — jazz. He recommended UNT’s Vocal Jazz Workshop.

“The workshop was my first thrust into jazz education,” Smith says. “I had figured out things like scatting on my own, but I really didn’t know what I was doing. I was so inspired.”

UNT’s jazz studies professors saw her natural talent.

“Her voice had an interesting sound, reflective of history but with a nod to the future,” says Eckert.

Smith transferred to UNT and trans-formed her music focus in the rigorous jazz studies program. She won three DownBeat awards, one as a soloist and two as a member of the UNT Jazz Singers.

“UNT is the No. 1 school for jazz,” she says. “I knew I needed to be there if I really wanted to perform professionally.”

In her second trip to the Sarah Vaughan competition, the confidence Smith had gained from professional experience combined with her UNT-honed soulful sound to make a subtle difference.

“I was better this time embracing who I was,” she says. “Winning wasn’t my goal. I went in to get better.”

Smith felt confident until her perfor-mance of “Tight” from Betty Carter’s 1976 jazz album, when the accompanying instrumentalists faltered. With her audience, Smith laughed off two restarts, early key changes and a skipped final chorus. She was sure she’d lost. The judges — jazz greats like platinum-selling artist Ann Hampton Callaway, Grammy-nomi-nated Nnenna Freelon and producer Larry Rosen — thought differently.

“They said I handled it like a profession-al,” Smith says, “and I thank my UNT training for that.”

he second time was the charm for Ashleigh Smith (’11), who won the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Compe-tition in 2014 after being named first runner-up in 2012. The contest is designed to propel the career of an up-and-coming female vocalist to new heights.

Presented in November, the award known as the Sassy comes with a $5,000 cash prize and an exclusive recording contract with Concord Records. Smith also gets to perform in the highly acclaimed Jazz Roots Concert Series.

As a background vocalist for Grammy- winning R&B artist Chrisette Michelle since 2012, Smith knows how to work the stage with an ensemble or singing solo.

A graduate of the UNT vocal jazz program under the instruction of music professors Rosana Eckert, Jennifer Barnes and Timothy Brent, Smith has sung with The Manhattan Transfer and jazz singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks as a member of the UNT Jazz Singers. She also has performed across the U.S. and Northern Ireland. And as the 2014 Miss Black Texas USA, she promoted the preservation of music education in public schools.

“A lot of the arts are being ripped out of public school programs,” says Smith, who hopes to open a music academy in an at-risk neighborhood one day.

Born in LaGrange, Ga., to a family of music educators and informal musicians, she says music is in her DNA.

“As a baby, you had to sing me to sleep,” she laughs. “And it had to be good.”

by Monique Bird T

AshleighSmith


Ashleigh Smith (’11)Lewisville

Favorite jazz song: When I was 8, my dad played a

recording of Ella Fitzgerald’s “How

High the Moon.” I was floored at

her voice, realizing she had sung

it on the spot. I learned that song

backward and forward. It was kind

of like love at first listen.

Lessons learned at UNT: My former professors Jennifer

Barnes and Rosana Eckert advised

me to be prepared, be early and

know the music. In this industry,

you never know when your big

moment is going to come. Also,

network and build relationships.

The UNT community is still

monumental to my success. All of

the recordings I have done were

with UNT classmates; even the

recordings I submitted to Sarah

Vaughan. I know anywhere I go,

there will be UNT alumni I can call

for gigs, go to dinner or stay with.

On the Sassy: I am honored to have people think

I was good enough to have an

award with Sarah Vaughan’s name

attached to it. The UNT jazz degree

is no joke. All those years of

singing, exams, juries and having

recital lessons where you couldn’t

get it down. It’s for myself, my

parents, UNT and everyone who

has ever invested in me. The

album from this recording contract

will be my first. I’m excited for

people to hear my sound.

Visit northtexan.unt.edu/

online to read more Q&A.

Kauw

uane Burton


Muse Check outupcoming eventspage 21

GRAMMY GOLD

UNT alumni and faculty soak in prestigious Grammy Award nominations and wins for

contemporary Christian, jazz and opera.

THE MEAN GREEN SNAGGED GRAMMY GOLD. At the 57th annual Grammy Awards show in March, rapper Lecrae (’02) won for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Messengers,” which he performed with the duo For King & Country. Alumni saxophonist Jeff Driskill and trumpeter Dan Fornero, members of Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band, took the award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Life in the Bubble. And associate professor of voice Jennifer Lane sang on a recording of Darius Milhaud’s L’Orestie D’Eschyle that was nominat-ed for Best Opera Recording.

“It means a lot to me,” Lecrae says. “People are appreciating my music, the craft and the content. I’m really grateful.”

Read more about UNT’s Grammy wins at northtexan.unt.edu/grammy-gold.

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Finding authenticity

Lecrae’s road to the Grammys began his freshman year at UNT, when he visited the Music Building’s recording studio lab.

“It was phenomenal,” he says. “It just lit a fire in me.”From that lab, Lecrae, who attended UNT as Lecrae Moore, began

performing and producing music that he developed into a huge career as a hip-hop artist. His recent Grammy win and two other nomina-tions follow a 2013 win for Best Gospel Album for his work, Gravity. His latest album, Anomaly, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart last year — a first for a Christian hip-hop artist. And he is the co-founder of Atlanta-based Reach Records.

An applied arts and sciences major, Lecrae listened to the One O’Clock Lab Band in the University Union and says living in Bruce Hall gave him inspiration from other creative students.

“If you wanted to wear blue hair, you wore blue hair,” he says. At UNT, he also found the ministry that led to his strong Chris-

tian faith and met his wife, Darragh Moore (’01). He attended Bible study at Plumbline Ministries led by Dhati Lewis (’99), a former Mean Green football player now based in Atlanta, started ministering to his fellow students and volunteered in a juvenile detention hall.

In his song, “My Whole Life Changed,” Lecrae describes his tumultuous childhood and bout with drugs and mentions both UNT and Plumbline. His music is his outlet to express himself.

“I want it to be authentic,” he says. “I never want to be a caricature.” Inspiring one another

For Driskill and Fornero, Los Angeles-based musicians who attended UNT in the 1980s, the Grammy Award marks a big win.

“I still haven’t really ‘owned’ that a band I’m in has won a Grammy,” Driskill says. “It’s so great that the whole band has been recognized.”

The 18-member band has 14 previous nominations for Grammys.Fornero says his reaction can be summed up in one word — “relief!”Driskill has performed with many musicians, including Prince, Josh

Groban and Annie Lennox. He also played for the soundtracks of Toy Story 3 and The Princess and the Frog. He’s a member of the Chris Walden Big Band and the John Daversa Progressive Big Band.

Fornero, a former member of the One O’Clock Lab Band, played with the legendary Woody Herman. He’s played with Tom Jones, Phil Collins and Neil Diamond and played on the soundtracks of The Simpsons Movie, Toy Story 3 and Jersey Boys. He’s a member of the Bob Mintzer Big Band and released his CD, Not So Old School, last year.

Fornero says UNT’s emphasis on sight-reading and high bar of musicality prepared him for the “incredible amount of competition” among freelance musicians. Driskill agrees.

“North Texas is a unique community where musicians inspire one another to greater musical heights,” he says.

At left: Lecrae (’02) at the 2015 Grammy AwardsFrom top: Alumni musicians Jeff Driskill and Dan Fornero, and UNT associate professor of voice Jennifer Lane

Rob ShanahanSheila N

ewberry


MuseBooks

War storiesIn his latest book, A Mad Catastrophe: Th e Outbreak of World War I and the

Collapse of the Habsburg Empire (Basic Books), history profes-sor Geoff rey Wawro fi lls in a neglected but crucial aspect of World War I: the disastrous di-plomacy, strategy and military performance of Austria-Hun-gary — which caused the war and doomed the German-led alliance by eroding the army’s military eff ectiveness.

Wawro, director of UNT’s Military History Center, has a

personal interest in the subject. “My paternal grandparents

came from Austrian Galicia — today’s western Ukraine — and my grandfather served in the Austro-Hungarian army before immigrating to America before the World War I,” he says.

Cochran tributeEconomics: From the Dismal Science to the Moral Science, Th e Moral

Economics of Kendall P. Cochran (UNT Press) compiles the writings of Cochran, who served as professor and chair of the economics department at UNT from 1957 to 1988.

Th e book was edited by

Susan Dadres, alumna and senior lecturer of economics; Mona S. Hersh-Cochran, Cochran’s widow and a retired economics professor at Texas Woman’s University; and David Molina, chair and associate professor of economics.

Cochran was a popular teacher, winning the ’Fessor Graham award in 1968. Pro - ceeds from the book go to the Melton-Cochran Scholarship Fund, created when Cochran retired to reward some of the best students at UNT.

“Th e theme running through his work is that economists have a moral responsibility to help society and to argue for social change,” Molina says.

Smartphone usageSmartphone users can tell friends and the world about their surrounding

space with apps such as Foursquare, Google Maps, Facebook, Instagram and Yelp. Jordan Frith, assistant professor of technical communication, explores their impact in Smartphones as Locative Media (Wiley Books). Frith looks at how these services have changed the way users navigate and engage with the world.

“Th e privacy concerns are very real. Companies know a lot about our location informa-tion,” he says. “But, people fi nd them to be useful.”

Happy performanceTen-time Grammy winner Bobby McFerrin visited UNT in February to work with jazz

vocalists and the One O’Clock Lab Band.

He participated in question-and-answer sessions where he discussed a variety of topics

— everything from his experience in the music business to the types of microphones he

uses in performances. McFerrin also rehearsed with the One O’Clock Lab Band, sang duets

and rehearsed with jazz vocal students and participated in improvisation activities.

McFerrin, the vocal innovator known for his worldwide hit song Don’t Worry Be Happy and

his multi-platinum duo album Hush with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, improvises most of his per-

formed music in a form of scat singing.

“During this residency, our students had a rare and invaluable experience with Bobby

McFerrin, who challenged them all — instrumentalists and vocalists alike — to be truly

present in the moment of music-making and free themselves from many of the usual inhi-

bitions they might feel when it comes to improvisation,” says Jennifer Barnes, assistant

professor and director of vocal jazz. “In every way, he was an inspiration and role model of

this kind of thinking and being, and I know we will all take the lessons learned forward with us, with much gratitude.”

The week culminated with the sold-out Glenn E. Gomez Endowment concert featuring the students and McFerrin. McFerrin asked the 1,000-mem-

ber crowd to sing along and invited audience members on stage to sing and dance along with him. McFerrin’s residency was made possible by the

Glenn E. Gomez International Artists Endowment for Jazz Studies and the Mary Jo and V. Lane Rawlins Fine Art Series.

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Upcoming Events

Dance and Theatre

Leading role

Sally Vahle, associate pro-fessor of acting and voice, crossed an item off her bucket list — the title role in Medea in a production by the Dallas Theatre Center in February and March.

Vahle, a member of DTC’s Brierley Resident Acting Company, played the

At UNT on the Square, the UNT Painting and Drawing Show will display student work April 3-30, with a reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. April 3. In Sushi in Cortez May 6-9, scholars will present poetry, film, photogra-phy and philosophy from fieldwork in the Mesa Verde region, with a public presentation May 9. Learn more at untonthesquare.unt.edu.

The 55th annual Voertman Student Art Competition will present student work in the College of Visual Arts and Design. Sara-Jayne Parsons (’96 M.A.) will serve as juror. The show runs April 7-25, with the reception and award ceremony from 5 to 7 p.m. April 9 in the UNT Art Gallery. Graduate students in the studio arts and design programs will show their work at the M.F.A. Showcase May 21-Aug. 29 at both the UNT Art Gallery and UNT ArtSpace Dallas, 1901 Main Street in Dallas. Visit gallery.unt.edu for more information.

The Fine Arts Series will present the African Culture Festival, featuring percussion professor Gideon Foli Alorwoyie, a tribal chief from the Volta Region of Ghana, West Africa, at 8 p.m. April 11 in the Music Building, Voertman Hall. Organist Daniel Roth, a leading French organ virtuoso, will perform at 8 p.m. April 21 in the Main Auditorium.

The 14th annual Campus Songwriters Competition finalists showcase will feature eight songwriters performing original compositions, with the winning musician receiving an invitation to perform and compete at the Kerville Folk Festival. It takes place at 7:30 p.m. April 28 in the Gateway Center. Learn more at studentaffairs.unt.edu/fine-arts-series.

The Symphony Orchestra and Grand Chorus will perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs at 8 p.m. April 29 at Winspear Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center. Members of the voice faculty will sing. The One O’Clock Lab Band and UNT Jazz Singers unite to showcase the Music of Gene Puerling at 8 p.m. April 16-17 at Voertman Hall in the Music Building. The family of the Grammy-winning vocal arranger donated his personal collection to UNT’s Music Library. Learn more at thempac.music.unt.edu.

Visit calendar.unt.edu for more upcoming events.

role in the same semester she is teaching Classical Styles, a UNT acting class that begins with the Greeks.

“I learn from my students every day and am constantly reminded of things that I need to remember in my own work,” she says.

“Because I teach what I live, I am able to develop a curriculum that not only en-hances traditional methods of teaching acting and voice, but also offers students practical current knowledge.”

Drumming up successYears ago, John Wasson

(’80, ’83 M.M.) wrote a big band arrangement of Juan Tizol’s “Caravan” for a band in Missouri. Then, in 2013, a music supervisor called him up to use it for an indepen-

dent film, Whiplash. The movie used the work for its climactic scene and won three Oscars at the 2015 Academy Awards.

“They heard the album from the Missouri band and decided that my version of ‘Caravan’ was the one they wanted,” says Was-son. “I never thought it would end up in a movie.”

The movie, about an abusive jazz professor played by J.K. Simmons who skimps on praise and doles out reprimands and physical punishments, uses Wasson’s work to showcase the main character’s jazz drumming. But Wasson’s own experience study-ing jazz at UNT was far from that traumatic.

“It was a great experience,” he says. “I was part of the One O’Clock Lab Band and we went to Europe twice. ”

Wasson works at his studio in McKinney where he writes music and also works as a church music director.

“This was kind of a good luck thing,” Wasson says. “It was complete happenstance. But I’m grateful for it.”

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MuseMusic honors

College of Music doctoral students Jason Pockrus and Kimary Fick have earned pres-tigious research awards.

Pockrus, a saxophone per-formance major, received a Ful-bright U.S. Student Program grant to study at the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China, where he will transcribe classical Chinese music using the saxophone to replicate the sound of instruments tradition-al to the country.

Fick, a musicology major, was awarded a fellowship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst/German Academic Exchange Service to research German archives re-lating to her dissertation titled “Sensitivity Inspiration and Ra-tional Aesthetics: Music in the Early German Enlightenment.” She traveled to Germany to explore how listening to and performing music were con-sidered necessary for morality during the time period.

Midlake news

Midlake’s members are mak-ing their mark, from the silver screen to Denton’s downtown square. The band, including former music students Paul Alexander, Joey McClellan, Eric Nichelson, Eric Pulido and McKenzie Smith, was the

co-musical theatre teacher at Coppell Middle School North, and his barbershop quartet group, Clutch!, won first place in the Southwestern District’s Barbershop Harmony Society’s quartet championship last fall.

Lotspeich, right, began bar-bershop singing in high school and also performs with Dallas’ Vocal Majority Chorus.

“The support of my won-derful college professors and my barbershop friends fueled my passion for singing and has helped me begin a very fulfilling career,” he says.

Music

Barbershop winner

As a music education major, Charlie Lotspeich (’10) sang up to seven hours a day in Concert Choir, Recital Choir, voice lessons and barbershop performances. Now he works as a head choir director and

subject of the documentary Midlake: Live in Denton, TX by actor Jason Lee that pre-miered at Denton’s Thin Line festival in February.

Nichelson helped co-found the Denton Music Workshop with bandmate Jesse Chand-ler this spring. It began as Midlake’s studio and now also features a music school and rehearsal space for bands.

Smith, who co-owns the popular Paschall Bar on the downtown square, is adding another eclectic restaurant to the square called 940’s that will open this summer. Pulido also has opened the restaurant Bar-ley and Board on the square.

Television and Film

Documentary maker

A new documentary by David Alvarado (’07) has re-ceived critical acclaim. Alvarado served as director and cinema-tographer for The Immortalists, which features two eccentric scientists who want to reverse the aging process and poten-tially never die from old age.

The film has played in more than 20 cities and in some of the top film festivals around the world. The movie, which is available on iTunes and will be on Netflix, earned good reviews

Design for living Loyd Taylor (’59) was named to D Home Magazine’s 50 Best Designers survey — capping a long career as one of Dallas’ top interior designers.

Taylor owns Loyd-Paxton, which he

ran with his partner, the late Paxton Gremillion. Taylor’s love for fine arts and decoration began as a young

child when his mother — who studied to be a fashion designer — taught him to feel the textures of fabrics, study color combi-nations and appreciate fine details and craftsmanship.

His education at North Texas — under such faculty as Ray Gough, Cora Stafford and Ron Williams — further paved his career. He gave back to UNT by donating a large collection of his mother’s and his personal clothing to the Texas Fashion Collection in 2012.

“I believe UNT has one of the best art schools in the United States, but from there, any student must continue to study, keep up with current trends, travel, look at great examples of design-ers’ work, look at great interiors of all periods and use the classics as a reference in all styles for balance, form, arrangements,” he says. “I am continually studying, going to exhibits and lectures, and meeting people of all cultures from around the world.”

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Erika Kapin


UNT helped David McMahon (’97) become David Chicken.

David Chicken is the children’s music performer who has released three CDs and two DVDs

and won three Emmy Awards from the Lone Star Emmy chapter.

McMahon, who majored in communication design with a minor in radio, television and

fi lm, took many music classes and had written funny original songs that didn’t fi t with the

local bands he was in at the time.

“So I made one CD under the name David Chicken and, much to my surprise, kids and

parents alike loved the music,” he says. “I loved performing it and they say to do what you

love, so I did more of that.”

During his act, his dog Chihuahua Super Joanie performs tricks in between songs. He has

entertained families of U.S. Navy members in Guam, Italy, Japan and Spain. His mother, Jane

McMahon, helped build the show and rapped as “Mama Chicken” before she passed away

last year. She helped foster art and music in McMahon, paying for private lessons and taking

him to many live shows. McMahon recently launched a charity, Mama Chicken’s Kitchen, in

honor of his mother to help provide food and supplies for the homeless in Dallas.

The Dallas resident also co-owns the graphic design fi rm Bottle Rocket, which specializes

in corporate branding and marketing. On most weekends David can be caught singing and

rapping in the Elvis-inspired band Graceland Ninjaz, which performs across the nation.

“UNT instilled a sense of adventure and wonder, and a yearning to achieve big goals,” he

says. “I fi nd that I am one of the few people I know who actually have a career doing exactly

what they went to school for. I credit UNT — and my mom — for allowing that to happen.”

Watch videos of McMahon’s performances at northtexan.unt.edu/online.

from Th e New York Times and the Huffi ngton Post.

“Th e professors and classes at UNT were exactly what I needed to move forward after graduating,” Alvarado says.

Visual Arts

Art meets science

Artists and astrophysicists will come together to collaborate on the newest project by associate professor Ruth West, thanks

Renaissance chicken

to a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for INSTRUMENT: One Antarctic Night.

West will lead the team in producing software that will allow the public to manipulate 300,000 images of the uni-verse captured by the robotic Antarctic telescope CSTAR. Touch screens at a gallery exhibition and a mobile web app will allow participants to “remix” the astrophysics visual and sound data extracted by the team, thereby creating new and unique visuals and sounds.

West’s project blends art and science to help humanity understand the universe in new ways and enables artists

to express data and make it available for everyone to expe-rience and enjoy. Her work was featured in Artweek, Wired’s NextFest, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and galleries and museums worldwide.

Picture perfect

Mariah Tyler (’14) is off to a great start with her career as a photo editor. She is working in the Steven A. Baron Work

Scholar Program at the Aperture Foundation in New York City.

For six months, she will work with photographers, editors and designers on the production and editing of Aperture-published photobooks.

She majored in studio art photography and anthropology, a combination that “had me critical of human storytelling and how photographs have a powerful impact in the way people conceive ideas about the world.”

Her experience writing for a photography blog led her to her position and future aspirations.

“Photo editors are in a position to edit and sort of control visual literacy and how photography is used in publications.”

Glen H

adsallD

allas Allen


Each day, from Texas to Egypt to India to China, back to the United States and at dozens of other worldwide public locales, people experience art created by UNT alumni. Spectators might see a granite monolith reaching for the sky, a metal design twisting its way down a path or photographs of the faces of fellow community members. Alumni who create public art say it should blend in with a community while enhancing it, evoking thought and giving those who live there an appreciation for the shared meaning of art.

“Without art, we’re a cultureless society,” says Jesús Moroles (’78), whose acclaimed public art sculptures contributed to former President George W. Bush awarding him the 2008 National Medal of the Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. president. “It’s good for aesthetics, but you also can tie everything back to it. You can teach mathematics with it. You can learn a lot from art.”

by Margarita Venegas

Art alumni create cultural landmarks for community spaces worldwide that enhance environments, reflect society and activate imaginations

Ahna

Hub

nik


UNT’s College of Visual Arts and Design, considered one of the best art schools in the South and Southwest, has a legacy of notable alumni such as Moroles and other acclaimed sculptors, painters, designers and educators.

In sharing their talent with audiences in a public forum, these artists break down barriers with works worldwide that are acces-sible, engaging, reflective, empathetic and honest.

Moroles, for example, has art in Egypt, China and India and in the White House. At the Smithsonian Institute, his work also includes permanent collection pieces.

“Art is one of the things that might save us, save humanity,” Moroles says. “If we could get people out of their cities, out of their countries and traveling to see art around the world, then we’d all have more of an open mind toward each other.”

SACRED PLACES In presenting Moroles with the 2008 National Medal of the Arts,

Bush noted the alumnus’ “enduring achievements as a sculptor” that “grace America’s landscape.” It was a proud moment for Moroles and for his parents, who attended with him and his daughter, who he says is his greatest achievement.

It also was a long way from Moroles’ childhood along the Gulf Coast of Texas, where his parents sent him to work with his uncle, a master mason from Mexico, during the summers.

“He built hurricane-proof homes and hotels,” Moroles recalls. “I was 13 at the time and my attitude was, ‘If I can make a hur-ricane-proof home, then I can do anything.’ I think that’s how I gravitated to the heavy stuff.”

Moroles’ medium is granite. When he can, he uses locally sourced granite for projects because it’s important to connect art to the com-munity, he says. He prepares and finishes much of his work at his studio in Rockport before shipping it out for installation.

When he arrived at UNT, he had never worked with stone or granite before. The first time he hit the granite, his chisel broke in half. But a bit of research and some additional shopping later, he acquired goggles, ear plugs and a coat to protect him from the debris cloud kicked up by the pneumatic hammer required to cut through the stone.

“When I’m working, I’m in this cocoon,” Moroles says. “That first time I was working on the piece, it was pushing me and I was pushing back. When I turned off the pneumatic hammer and the dust settled, there were 30 other students standing right next to me. That’s when I felt a connection between me and the stone. It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, and I think everyone around me could see that struggle. They could feel it.”

Moroles’ ability to challenge himself through his sculptures impressed many early in his career. In 1982, he earned a prestigious Awards in the Visual Arts fellowship, and in 1985, he received a National Endowment for the Arts matching grant for an environ-mental installation in Alabama. In 1987, he completed one of his favorite — and likely most viewed — pieces. Lapstrake, a 64-ton, 22-foot-tall sculpture sits in the heart of New York City, just across from the Museum of Modern Art.

“To have a piece of art in Manhattan is a major feat,” says Moroles, who received a UNT Distinguished Alumni Award in 1996. “I feel proud that it was put there so early on in my career.”

One piece that is very meaningful to Moroles is the 1990 Houston Police Officers Memorial, one of his largest-scale single works. Shaped like a cross with one pyramid in the center, it has four outer pyramids inverted that sink into the ground.

“It’s in the vein of work that I’m doing now, creating sacred spaces in the world,” Moroles says. “After I finished it, someone sent me a photo of two daughters of a police officer who died, who were at the memorial. They said it was their favorite place. I want it to celebrate life. I believe these spaces should be used. By being used, they create an energy that celebrates life.”

Jesús Moroles (’78), sculptor and National

Medal of the Arts recipient, has work in public

spaces worldwide, including the Houston Police Officers Memorial.

Barrett DeBusk (’82), sculptor, created The Fat Happies series, located in cities across the country including Santa Fe, N.M.

David C. Iles (’77 M.F.A.), sculptor, created Wildflower

Great Egrets located at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower

Center in Austin.

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Leisa Rich (’07 M.F.A.), fiber artist, creates 3-D installations for traveling exhibitions at airports and universities.

Letitia Huckaby (’10 M.F.A.) used photography and mixed

media for a public installation at Oak Cliff Branch Library in Dallas.

Leisa RichAhna H

ubnik

John Rich


PERSONABLE AND ACCESSIBLE Public art bridges the gap between artist and viewer, says David

C. Iles (’77 M.F.A.). He recalls taking his son, Martin, to museums at a young age so that the youth could appreciate art — but the obvious disconnection bothered him.

“He was 3 and we told him, ‘Put your hands in your back pocket. Don’t touch,’” remembers Iles. “I like public art because it’s more personable. You can touch it. I like the idea that viewers can feel a sense of ownership over the art.”

The path to creating public art sculptures almost didn’t happen for Iles. Originally a painter, he took a class in sculpture after com-pleting his undergraduate degree at Lamar University. He enjoyed it and began to get serious about sculpture while working at the lumber yard owned by his wife’s family, carving pieces of wood.

“When I came to North Texas to get my master’s degree, I had never cast metal; I was only carving in wood,” Iles says. “The profes-sors here were very open to letting us explore and experiment with different media.”

After a brief career working in oil fields, Iles gravitated back toward art and worked for UNT in the metals shop from 1987 to 2000. It was after an encounter with Dallas real estate developer Trammell Crow that Iles realized his dream of working full time as a sculpture artist.

“I had been making a lot of animal skulls, skeletons and mario-nettes,” Iles says. “Mr. Crow asked if I could do some pieces for him so I started creating animals with their flesh on and I liked it.”

Iles’ lifelike grackles, deer, rabbits, ducks, squirrels and other wildlife attracted attention. He has pieces at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the Dallas Arboretum and public commis-sions from the city of Denton, the Irving Art Association and others.

At his foundry north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Iles casts his own and other artists’ projects, using UNT students when he can.

“It was a dream come true to work full time as an artist,” Iles says. “It’s important to be involved in public art, nice to do something that so many people get to see and experience.”

UNIVERSAL AUDIENCEWhile completing his master’s degree, Iles taught classes at UNT,

and freshman Barrett DeBusk soaked up everything he could from Iles’ 3-D art class.

“I went straight for sculpture,” says DeBusk (’82). “I put myself through school building houses. I liked the construction part of it.”

When DeBusk started creating metal sculptures, he received en-couragement from the art faculty. He remembers Regents Professor of ceramics Elmer Taylor telling him that his works looked cool and that he should do more of them.

“That was about the best advice from a teacher I’ve received,” DeBusk says, “to keep going.”

DeBusk’s early sculptures led to a series in the 1990s of welded steel structures painted black to look like ink drawings of people engaged in different activities — playing in a band, riding bikes.

DeBusk’s next body of work was what he calls The Fat Happies, playful, brightly colored tubular sculptures that stand on one leg and have the other leg and arms spread out as if dancing.

“Outdoor sculpture needs color, especially if it’s sort of humor-ous,” he says, “and I’ve never been one to be too serious.”

His artwork, which appeals to children and adults, was chosen for Santa Fe’s Art in Public Places program and Art in the Streets in Mesa, Ariz., and is featured at a playground in Washington, D.C., the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and a children’s hospital in Chicago. DeBusk was in college when he visited his first museum and says it’s important to him to reach out to children so they can experience art at a young age.

“Kids will tell you the truth about what they think,” he says, “and if they respond well to your work, you’ve hit a universal nerve.”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Creating public art also is a way to give back to people, says Letitia

Huckaby (’10 M.F.A.). “I like that you can create something specific to the community,”

says Huckaby, who uses photography and mixed media in her work.She was a documentary photographer when she decided to pur-

sue her master’s at UNT. Right before she started, her father died. The experience made her think about how she’d always wanted to tell others’ stories through her photography but never her own. So, she began to concentrate on stories from Louisiana and Mississippi where her family is from — places she didn’t get to know since she was in a military family that traveled for much of her childhood.

“The work I just finished is a portrait project on a group of nuns in New Orleans,” Huckaby says. “They are an African American order that was started in the late 1800s and is still going strong.”

She printed the images onto fabric, hand-stitched them in traditional quilting patterns and had them framed. Using quilts as a subject is something she learned from observing her husband’s work, a painter who was a great inspiration during her time at UNT.

“My professor, Dornith Doherty, really pushed me,” Huckaby says. “It was kind of odd to be in the photo program making quilts,

“Without art, we’re a cultureless society.

It’s good for aesthetics, but you also can tie

everything back to it. ” —Jesús Moroles (’78)


but she encouraged me to find my voice and allowed me the space to use mixed media.”

That experience at UNT led her to create public art in Dallas and Fort Worth using photographs and more. At the Trinity River trailhead, her artwork commissioned by Fort Worth nonprofit Streams and Valleys includes black-and-white images of community members printed on porcelain enamel steel. The weather-proof substance allows the art to remain on display year-round. Her most recent public artwork is a photographic installation at Oak Cliff Branch Library in Dallas.

“My family and I went to see the library project after it was installed, and while we were there, we saw a young man walking toward us,” Huckaby recalls. “It was one of the teenagers I had pho-tographed and he got this big smile on his face. That just made me so happy — to see him recognize himself in a piece of artwork.”

Public art also is fulfilling for artists because their artwork is constantly on view, rather than only on display every so often.

“With public art,” she says, “the work is always being engaged by the community.”

REFLECTION OF LIFE Public art can inspire and provoke, says Leisa Rich (’07 M.F.A.).

It can be positive or negative, a political statement or fun, she notes.“It can open up people’s minds in ways they’re not normally

exposed to,” she says. “A good part of the public will never go to a gallery or a museum. I think it is the responsibility of public art to expose those people to creativity.”

That creativity many times comes in the form of contemporary art since it’s often the work of living artists. That is helpful for artists such as Rich, whose artwork has been seen in Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport, at the Los Angeles airport, in the Dallas Museum of Art, in university and public art galleries, museums around the nation and traveling international exhibitions. Rich also is a finalist for a large commission for Fulton County Public Art in Atlanta, Ga., and will exhibit at the Baylor University gallery in fall 2016.

She started as a fiber artist creating 3-D and installations, but lately has branched out to include 3-D printing in her mixed media constructions and environments. Rich notes that having her art in the public domain allows her to reach a diverse audience.

Reaching out to others is important to Rich, who is partially deaf. A confrontation with a clerk who ridiculed her inability to hear firmed up the importance of working through her issues with her disability in her art — something that others responded to as well. In fall 2014, Rich won Crafthaus and Surface Design Association project grants to organize an exhibition and events showcasing works by artists with disabilities who remain positive and creative despite dealing with everything from bipolar disorder to brain injury.

“The majority of artists are doing this to give something of ourselves and to get something back from the viewers,” Rich says. “When you put your artwork on display, you are reaching out to other people. You hope to affect them in some way.”

UNT’S ART ON CAMPUS More than 80 pieces of art are displayed on UNT’s campus, including the works of 13 alumni. These pieces represent media such as sculpture, fiber, painting and drawing, and can be found outdoors and inside buildings on campus. The university’s art collection is complemented by collections held by the College of Visual Arts and Design, the University Union, the University Archives and Judge Sarah T. Hughes Reading Room, the library’s Rare Book Room and the College of Music. UNT has made it a long-standing practice to commission, purchase and accept gifts of artwork. Two of the earliest known works include a mural painted in 1935 that depicts campus life and a cast marble sculpture created in 1940, titled The Student. Go to northtexan.unt.edu/online to see the results of a recent photo scavenger hunt highlighting alumni artwork on campus such as the Diamondback Ruin Totem by Jesús Moroles (’78) in the lobby of the Office of the President; Caged and Confused, a sculpture by Barrett DeBusk (’82) on the lawn at the north-west corner of the Art Building (pictured above); and J.K.G. Silvey and animal sculptures by David C. Iles (’77 M.F.A.) around the Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building. And share what your favorite artwork was when you were a student on campus.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES Learn how alumna Jo Williams (’69) has made

a difference in the Denton community as an active watercolor artist and volunteer with the Greater Denton Arts Council for years. Also read about art master’s student Julie Libersat’s recent award from the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas competition for the app she

designed to explore art in an urban setting at northtexan.unt.edu/online.

Ahna Hubnik


P OW E R O F Research

With creative researchers, state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, UNT is putting an increased focus on each to develop an even stronger research enterprise. This year, UNT is investing in creating Research Institutes of Excellence in areas where there is a critical mass of knowledge and faculty collaborat-ing on research. This not only enhances the educational experi-ence of students by giving them crucial critical thinking and problem-solving skills, but leads to opportunities to connect with industry and business through partnerships, technology transfer and commercialization to support robust economic development in the North Texas region and beyond.

“Increasing UNT’s research enterprise will help us enhance our role in tackling societal problems, finding solutions and making discoveries, while achieving our goal of becoming recog-nized as a top-tier research university,” says Tom McCoy, vice president for research and economic development.

UNT is growing as a public research university by focusing research efforts on

solutions and partnerships.

Read more about UNT Research at research.unt.edu.

Leveraging Strengths

Mic

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Cle

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Brian Sauser, associate professor of logistics and director of UNT’s Complex Logistics Systems Laboratory.


Gar

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yne

F A C I L I T I E SUNT’s research facilities and state-of-the-art instrumentation are key to new discov-

eries. Associate professor of chemistry Guido Verbeck’s patented nanomanipula-tor, housed in UNT’s university-managed BioAnalytics Facility, is helping research-ers examine the chemistry of individual cancer cells. And UNT’s Center for Ad-

vanced Research and Technology (CART) provides characterization and computa-

tional methods to analyze new materials, while UNT’s TALON high-performance

computing system calculates big data.

N E W I N S T I T U T E SThis year, UNT will launch three insti-

tutes: the Logistics Systems Institute, the BioDiscovery Institute and the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute. Each builds on UNT’s existing expertise — areas in which UNT faculty are recognized for making signifi cant

impacts. These initiatives create a stron-ger platform for research, federal funding and public-private partnerships. And they give UNT new ways to partner with indus-try and further contribute to the region’s

economic growth.

D E S I G N R E F R E S HVisit the newly redesigned UNT Research website to learn how

UNT researchers are solving real-world issues, such as preserving our drinking water, understanding cancer cells more clearly, creating bio-based products by mimicking

plants’ natural systems, making safer materials for aircraft and solving logistics issues by more effi ciently managing dis-

tribution of goods and services and responding to emergencies quickly. Visit research.unt.edu.

Ahna Hubnik

32 T h e N o r t h T e x a n | northtexan.unt.edu | S p r i n g 2 0 1 5Ahn

a Hub

nik Laurie Y. Carrillo (’94 TAMS)


LLaurie Y. Carrillo’s (’94 TAMS) work has to survive in a tough place — space. As a thermal engineer at NASA, Carrillo creates the calculations so hardware — such as payload experiments on the International Space Station — can withstand the extreme hot and cold temperatures in orbit.

“I get to see the payloads go from a computer screen to the robotic arm installing them on the station,” she says. “It is very rewarding, and also kind of humbling, to see my little piece of the puzzle that I am able to contribute.”

Carrillo can trace her career at NASA to her time at UNT’s Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. The program that allows gifted teenagers to complete their last two years of high school while working on their first two years of college is celebrating 25 years since graduating its first class.

In 1987, TAMS became the nation’s first accelerated residential program for students to take research-focused university classes while earning the equivalent of a high school diploma, and it since has graduated 4,000 students. These students consistently win and are finalists for the most prestigious competitions for high school students in math, science and engineering — the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program, the Intel Science Talent Search and the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

“One of the most significant opportunities TAMS students have is to be mentored by UNT professors, who are at the cutting edge of their fields,” says Dean Glênisson de Oliveira, who joined TAMS in January. “In this environment, our talented students flourish and go on to make significant contributions as researchers and scientists.”

Carrillo is one of the 85 percent of TAMS alumni who earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM fields. They are solving real-world problems, from designing materials for space to creating better medical devices, practicing high-risk neurosurgery and fighting malaria. And they credit TAMS for provid-ing them with faculty mentors, research projects and scholarship opportunities that paved their way to success.

STEM Innovators

by Jessica DeLeón

UNT’s Texas

Academy of

Mathematics and

Science celebrates

25 years in

preparing the next

generation of

engineers,

scientists

and physicians.


International Space StationCarrillo remembers lying on her dorm

room fl oor at McConnell Hall, the residence hall dedicated to TAMS students, fi lling out an application for a scholarship sponsored by NASA.

“Th at application,” she says, “really changed my whole life.”

In earning the scholarship and the internship that came with it, she fulfi lled a dream to work for the space agency that was sparked in her childhood when she saw astronaut Sally Ride on Sesame Street.

Th e San Antonio native learned about TAMS during a summer math camp at UNT. While at TAMS, Carrillo partici-pated in two internships that focused on biomedical engineering and geophysics — giving her a taste of industry research. Th e NASA scholarship allowed her to work summers at the Johnson Space Center while she attended Rice University.

After earning bachelor’s degrees in computational and applied math and in materials science and engineering, she was off ered a full-time job at NASA. She worked in aerospace engineering and space operations while earning her master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Rice.

Currently, Carrillo is teaming up with the Japanese space agency Jaxa, which will use its vehicle to replace nickel hydrogen batteries with lithium ion batteries at the space station. She also is working with commercial companies Space X and Orbital Sciences Corp., which launch cargo to the station.

She teaches at Rice and the University of Houston at Clear Lake and often speaks to high school students about her career.

“I never had a female Hispanic engineer-ing professor,” she says. “Now I’m going to be able to share that experience.”

Biomedical advancesChris Bettinger (’99 TAMS) wants to

make it easier for people to take their medicine. He researches biomaterials- based medical devices as an assistant professor of materials science and biomedi-cal engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

He says he has liked solving problems ever since he attended TAMS. He worked with Kent Chapman, Regents Professor of biological sciences, to help extract diff erent plant tissues as natural sources of small lipid molecules that could extend the life of fl owers, research which he entered in the Siemens competition. Chapman remem-

bers Bettinger’s “tenacity and staying power,” traits essential in researching new materials, which may not always pan out.

Bettinger earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, master’s in biomedi-cal engineering and doctorate in materials science and engineering at the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology. He was a fi nalist in MIT’s $100,000 Entrepreneur-ship Competition for his part in creating a device that controls the release of drugs around the site of hip replacement surgery.

He’s received several patents for his work in making polymers stretchable, so when seeded in cells, they can grow and be used for wound healing and tissue regeneration. Th ey also can be used as materials for ingestible electronics for smart drug delivery systems or noninvasive biosensing.

“You have to be an eternal optimist,” he says, likening it to baseball players who are more likely to get an out than a hit. “You have to be persistent with risky projects that might fail because the payoff could be a transformative idea or technology.”

High-risk neurosurgeryMany people would see neurosurgery as

an intense fi eld. But siblings Toral Patel (’99 TAMS) and Ankur Patel (’05 TAMS) see it as a way to change lives. Toral, a

Gary Payne

Chris Bettinger (’99 TAMS)Ankur Patel (’05 TAMS) and Toral Patel (’99 TAMS)


neurosurgeon and researcher, and Ankur, a resident in neurosurgery, both work at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

At TAMS, Toral studied cardiac perfusion at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth and enjoyed the investigative aspects of science.

“TAMS inspired me to not just be a doctor, but to be a doctor who’s constantly questioning and innovating,” she says.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree at UT Southwestern, where she returned last year after a residency at the Yale School of Medicine. Now, she researches nanoparti-cle-based drug deliveries for the central nervous system.

Ankur Patel followed his sister to TAMS and, under the guidance of UNT biology professor Jannon Fuchs, studied primary cilia and their possible signifi cance in neuron formation, diseases and defects.

Th at research led to his recognition as a 2005 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar. After TAMS, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and earned his medical degree from UT Southwestern.

Th e Patels also have collaborated on cases with their older sister, Shivani Patel, an assistant professor of obstetrics and

Debra Endley/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Courtesy Julie Thwing

gynecology at UT Southwestern. Together, they removed a brain tumor from a woman who was 26 weeks pregnant.

Helping high-risk patients is challenging but rewarding. Ankur says he often sees patients, many young and in the prime of their lives, after a bad car accident.

“Some don’t survive their head injuries,” he says. “But, there are other times we can intervene through surgery and save patients’ lives. Th ey walk out of the hospital and go back to their families, friends and jobs. It is those moments that you cherish.”

Malaria initiativesA lifelong love for international work and

her TAMS education helps Julie Th wing (’93 TAMS) fi ght malaria.

Th wing, who grew up in Cameroon where her parents served as missionaries, attended high school in Duncanville. She learned about the TAMS program when a student spoke to her math class.

While at TAMS, she researched the eff ects of low water oxygen concentration with biology professor Tom Beitinger, won a fellowship to study the eff ects of altitude on exercise — and gained the experience and skills to be admitted to one of the country’s most prestigious universities.

“I wouldn’t have made it to Harvard if I

hadn’t been through TAMS,” Th wing says.During college, she took a year off to

volunteer for a public health outreach organization in Cameroon, which inspired her to pursue a career in international health. She attended medical school at Vanderbilt University, completing a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics, then worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.

She’s been with the CDC ever since, working for its malaria branch in Atlanta until 2012, when she moved to Senegal to serve with the President’s Malaria Initia-tive. Th wing also has tutored Somali Bantu refugees and traveled to Africa and Haiti to help people battling tuberculosis and HIV.

“I love my job,” she says. “It’s the combi-nation of a fascination with science and the ability to have an impact on the lives of other people.”

Learn about Tiff any Jiang, a TAMS student who

presented her forensic chemistry research at the Texas State Capitol in Austin as part of Texas Undergraduate Research Day at northtexan.unt.edu/tiff any-jiang.

Julie Th wing (’93 TAMS)


Join us under oak trees & sunshine for the finest jazz in Texas

UNT’s award-winning musicians return to the UNT Showcase Stage for the 35th annual Denton Arts & Jazz Festival. Unwind as various ensembles — including the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band — show off the trademark creativity that makes UNT a mecca for coming-of-age music legends year after year.

Visit dentonjazzfest.com for more information and performance schedules.

unt.edu

Denton Arts & Jazz Festival

Quakertown Park5 –11 p.m. April 2410 a.m.–11 p.m. April 2511 a.m.–9 p.m. April 26


NestEAGLES’

Save the dates for UNT’s 125th anniversary events page 39

SWINGING SUCCESS

Former Mean Green golfer is voted Web.com Player of the Year and lands spot on the PGA Tour.

Read more about Ortiz’s time as a UNT student-athlete at northtexan.unt.edu/swinging-success.

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CARLOS ORTIZ (’13) HAS ALWAYS LOVED TO play golf. As a boy watching his parents and grandfather play at their local golf club in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, he was inspired to take up the sport. Now, he’s a professional. His career success began with the 2013-14 season on the develop-mental Web.com Tour. His peers voted him the Web.com Player of the Year, and his three tournament wins — at the Panama Claro Championship, the El Bosque Mexico Championship and the WinCo Foods Portland Open — earned him an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour and fully exempt status for the year. Ortiz, who is only the sixth Mexican-born golfer to gain PGA Tour eligibility, says he’s very proud.

“Representing my country is a great honor.”


C O N N E C T I N G W I T H Friends

EAGLES’ Nest

1936 Anna

McReynolds Guffin, Pacific Grove, Calif. :: cele-

brated her 100th birthday in

December. Her passion for music

led her to study at the Fort Worth

Conservatory as a concert violin-

ist. She also played the organ and

studied voice. She taught for more

than 40 years and earned a mas-

ter’s in school administration from

what is now California State

University at San Francisco.

1963 Janice Stahly Scott, Plano :: is

the namesake for Janice Stahly

Scott Elementary School, opened

in Frisco ISD last year. She retired

from the district in 2010 after

teaching for 18 years and serving

as library media specialist for 15

years. She earned teacher certifica-

tion from North Texas in 1979.

1968

Olivia Masih White (’83 Ph.D.), Falmouth, Mass. :: was

elected president of the New

Comers Club of Falmouth. She

also serves on the boards of the

Cape Cod Council of Churches

and Church Women United. She

taught in UNT’s Department of

Biological Sciences for 20 years,

retiring in 2003.

1969 James H. Jorgensen (’70 M.S.), Boerne :: was named

Emeritus Professor at the Univer-

sity of Texas Health Science Cen-

ter in San Antonio in 2014. Until

partially retiring last spring, he

served as professor of pathology,

medicine (infectious diseases),

microbiology and immunology

and clinical laboratory sciences

and was director of the Clinical

Microbiology Laboratory of Uni-

versity Hospital for 38 years.

Jazz Band and assistant director

and director of the Gator March-

ing Band for many years.

1973

Thomas Allen, Kempner :: published Jenny Kissed Me!, a

historical romance novel extolling

the beauty of Eros as seen from

the perspective of C. S. Lewis.

He retired in 2011 after 25 years

as a professor of philosophy for

Central Texas College in Killeen.

1976

David Tiffin, Coppell :: joined

William Blair & Co., a global

investment and asset management

firm, as a director in the debt cap-

ital markets group. He specializes

in K-12 and community college

finance. He has served as an assis-

tant superintendent and CFO in

the Richardson ISD for 26 years

and had financing roles at RBC

Capital Markets, David Tiffin &

Associates, and Robert W. Baird

& Co. for 12 years.

1978 Jim Durrum, Gilmer ::

retired after 35 years as a parole

and probation officer. He is a

member of the Kappa Sigma

Fraternity. He has been a school

board member at Harmony ISD

for 14 years. He has two children

— Molly (’09) and Will, a

sophomore at UNT.

1970 Darrell Bledsoe, Amarillo ::

was appointed coordinator of

music business studies at West

Texas A&M University in

August. He has traveled the world

as an author and recording pro-

ducer for Simon and Schuster and

McGraw/Hill publishing and has

more than 9,000 production

credits to his name, selling more

than 30 million units.

1971

Lizzy Greene Hargrove, Houston :: is a poet, artist and

collector of nostalgia. At North

Texas, she was the 1968 Home-

coming Queen. She is pictured

with her granddaughters Cam-

eron and Jessica Hargrove.

Gary Langford (M.M.), Gainesville, Fla. :: was inducted

into the Florida Bandmasters

Association’s Roll of Distinction.

He is a Professor Emeritus of

music at the University of Flor-

ida, where he has worked for 38

years, serving as director of the

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 4). Members of the UNT Alumni Association are designated with a .

Read more, share comments and connect with friends

at northtexan.unt.edu.


Bruce Jor-dan, Fort Worth. ::

published his

third book, En Recuerdo de: The Dying Art of Mexican Cemeteries in the South-west (University of Nebraska

Press). His photographs of the

cemeteries are accompanied by

essays. He is a documentary pho-

tographer and a guest speaker at

photography workshops. He also

has written Texas Trilogy: Life in a Small Texas Town and Early Texas Schools: A Photographic History.

1980

William B. Baun (M.S.), Houston :: contributed two

chapters on workplace health

promotion management for the

textbooks Health Promotion in the Workplace and Corporate Wellness Programs. He also received the

Lifetime Achievement Award

from the National Wellness As-

sociation. He is wellness officer at

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Doyle Dillon, Portland, Ore. :: joined LoanStar as a loan of-

ficer at the Portland branch. He

previously worked in both the

hospitality and transportation

industries and has worked eight

years in the mortgage business.

When he is not working, he

enjoys cycling and exploring

the great Northwest with his

dog. He recently completed his

first triathlon.

Janet McLain, Bend, Ore. ::

was named an Oregon finalist for

the 2014 Presidential Awards in

Excellence in Mathematics and

Science Teaching, the nation’s

highest honors for teachers of

math and science. She has taught

in Oregon since graduation.

Michael J. Truncale (M.B.A.), Beaumont :: a partner at Or-

gain, Bell & Tucker LLP, received

a diploma in international arbi-

tration and was made a fellow

in the London-based Chartered

Institute of Arbitration, a leading

organization for the appointment

of international arbitrators. He

is married to Denise Holland Truncale (’82 M.M.Ed.) and

is the son of the late Joseph Truncale (’47) and the late

Ruth Henderson Truncale (’46, ’47 M.M.)

1981 Lisa

Burkhardt Worley, Flower Mound ::

co-wrote the book If I Only Had … Wrapping Yourself in God’s Truth During Storms of Insecurity (Believer’s Press). She founded

Pearls of Promise Ministries and

previously worked as a sports

reporter for KENS-TV in San

Antonio, HBO’s Inside the NFL, ESPN and the Madison Square

Upcoming Alumni GatheringsMany exciting events are planned to celebrate UNT’s 125th anniversary year. Here are a few events on our calendar:

Green and White Game: The 2015 spring football scrimmage will take place at 2 p.m. April 18 at UNT’s Apogee Stadium. Admission is free. Get season tickets at meangreensports.com.

UNT Kuehne Speaker Series on National Security: Andrea Tantaros, co-host of Outnumbered on the Fox News Channel, is the guest speaker at 11:30 a.m. May 12 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dallas. The series was established by Ernie Kuehne (ʼ66), an attorney and president and board chair of Kuehne Oil Co., to showcase UNT programs and faculty engaged in issues related to national and human security. To register, visit kuehneseries.unt.edu.

Spring 2015 Commencement: UNT’s inaugural University-wide Commencement ceremony begins at 8 p.m. May 16 at Apogee Stadium. A Jazz on the Green festival from 4 to 7 p.m. ushers in the event, which will include a nationally prominent speaker and will serve as the soft launch of UNT’s 125th anniversary celebrations. Also, Undergraduate College Recognition Ceremonies will take place May 15 and 16 at the UNT Coliseum and Murchison Performing Arts Center, and a Doctoral and Master’s Convocation will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 15 at the UNT Coliseum. For more information, visit unt.edu/commencement.

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference: The 11th annual conference, hosted by the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism, will take place July 17-19 at the Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center in Grapevine. Barbara Ehrenreich, author of bestselling memoir Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, will be a keynote speaker. Visit themayborn.com.

Founder’s Day: Save the date for Sept. 16, when UNT will formally kick off its 125th anniversary by celebrating UNT’s Founder’s Day. The first classes of the Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute were held Sept. 16, 1890. A highlight of the day will be President Neal Smatresk’s State of the University address.

For more information or to join the UNT Alumni Association, call 940-565-2834 or go to untalumni.com.

Garden Network. She attended

North Texas from 1979 to 1981.

1983

Barry R. Cofer, San Anto-nio :: is the surgeon in chief

at Children’s Hospital of San

Antonio and associate professor

of surgery at the Baylor College

of Medicine. He is board certified

in general and pediatric surgery,

is a fellow of the American Col-

lege of Surgeons and American

Academy of Pediatrics, and is a

member of the American Pediat-

ric Surgery Association.

1985

Lora-Marie Bernard, Hous-ton :: published her first book,

Lower Brazos River Canals (Arcadia Publishing), a pictorial

history of the Texas river. She is

a graduate student in liberal arts


EAGLES’ NestEAGLES’ Nest

Lost sight, gained insight

When Angie Braden (’97) came to UNT seeking independence, she found opportunities and experiences to help

others. Braden developed glaucoma at the age of 10 and in the next seven years had 14 surgeries, but the disease was too

aggressive. A few months before graduating from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, she lost her sight.

“I was completely devastated,” she recalls.

Braden knew she needed support from her family to help her adjust to her new way of life, but she wanted to learn to

step out on her own. So when a friend offered to room with her at UNT, she jumped at the opportunity.

“I was so unprepared. I didn’t have a cane or any assistive technology,” she says, adding that her grades dropped.

“I became depressed and overwhelmed.”

The next semester she registered with UNT’s Office of Disability Accommodation and sought a counselor on campus to

help her cope with her disability.

“I surrounded myself with positive people who kept me encouraged,” she says, crediting fellow student Cheylon

Brown ( ’99, ’09 M.Ed.), who now is director of UNT’s Multicultural Center, as one of many to help her while at UNT.

“She kept me motivated with pep talks and volunteered to read my textbooks for me.”

Braden’s grades improved and each semester things got better. Earning a degree in communication studies, she now gives speeches on motivation, student

success and living with a disability. She shares her story on blogs and television programs and has been commissioned to speak by groups including the National

Basketball Retired Players Association. A speech teacher at Lone Star College in Kingwood, she recently received the Lone Star College’s Adjunct Faculty Excellence

Award for her exemplary teaching. And she hopes to publish her memoir, Black Sky: Memoir of a Blinding Girl, this fall.

“Success isn’t something you stumble upon,” she says. “It’s a choice to make good decisions, work hard and endure during challenging times.”

— Awo Eni

organization based in Coppell

that raises awareness for organ

donation.

1988

Paul Croteau and Sue Frie-senhahn Croteau (’89), Uni-versal City :: celebrated their

30th anniversary at the site of

their first date — the Bruce Hall

lobby windowsill — on Oct. 1.

The music alumni also came back

to campus for their 25th anniver-

sary. In a 2009 story in The North Texan, Paul says, “The campus

will always be home, pulling us

back like a magnet.”

Nancy K. Gibson, Texarkana :: earned her master’s degree

in education from Arkansas

State University in Jonesboro in

spring 2014.

1989

Geralyn McClure Franklin (Ph.D.), Al Ain, United Arab Emirates :: became dean of the

College of Business and Econom-

ics at the United Arab Emirates

University in Al Ain in August.

She previously served as business

dean at the University of Texas of

the Permian Basin, the University

of South Florida at St. Petersburg

at Harvard University and a

media/outreach consultant for

businesses and nonprofits. She

also is working on a biography of

a Brazos River slave smuggler

and forger.

1986

David Kosofsky (’86 M.S.), Plano :: is the founder and

online marketing director of

GoRVRentals.com, an online

marketplace for RV rentals. The

website launched in September

and allows visitors to find and

compare recreational vehicle,

motorhome, travel trailer, camper

and toy hauler rentals in one

search. David is married to

Rusalyn Erwin Kosofsky (’92, ’92 M.S.), an internal audit

specialist with Oncor for 20 years.

Theresa Morrow Polley, Mineola :: founded Retreat in

the Pines, a yoga and wellness

center for women, in 2004. She

runs it with her daughter, Nina Herndon (’10), left. Theresa,

who earned her degree in jour-

nalism, worked in marketing for

20 years. She teaches yoga and

leads the retreats, while Nina,

whose degree is in entrepreneur-

ship, assists with managing the

business and catering. Nina also

works part-time with Taylor’s

Gift Foundation, a nonprofit

Gary Payne


and the University of Dallas and

as interim dean at Stephen F.

Austin State University.

Monica Mendez-Grant (’92 M.Ed., ’01 Ed.D.), Valley View :: was named vice president for

student life at Texas Woman’s

University. She was TWU’s

associate vice president for stu-

dent life for 13 years and director

of its Center for Student Devel-

opment and Student Orientation

for seven years.

Karen Elledge Walker (’95 M.Ed., ’14 Ed.D.), Murphy ::

received the Texas Association for

the Education of Young Children’s

Teacher Educator of the Year

award. She is a charter member of

the Zeta Sigma chapter of Kappa

Kappa Gamma. She is in her

second year of teaching at Texas

A&M University at Commerce

and is the co-president of the Dal-

las Association for the Education

of Young Children.

1990 Victor Sower (Ph.D.), Hunts-ville :: has written his latest

book, Statistical Process Control for Managers (Business Expert

Press). He is a Distinguished

Professor Emeritus of manage-

ment at Sam Houston State

University.

1991 John Venable, Los Angeles ::

has been performing on the

national tour of the show

Defending the Caveman for two

years and is now one of the

Cavemen performing the show

inside Harrah’s at The Improv

on the strip in Las Vegas.

1993

Lt. Col. Paul Berg (’95 M.B.A.), Fort Leavenworth, Kan. :: was promoted to assistant

professor at the U.S. Army Com-

mand and General Staff College

at Fort Leavenworth. He also was

selected battalion commander for

the1-223rd Aviation Regiment at

Fort Rucker, Ala. He and his wife, Tanya Anderson Berg (’94),

who met as resident assistants at

UNT, have two children, Kaela

and Logan. At a pre-command

course, he met Col. John L. Smith (’90), left, who will com-

mand the 128th Aviation Brigade

at Fort Eustis, Va.

S. Sheridan Stancliff, Colo-rado Springs, Colo. :: founded

the website novelexpressions.com, which offers thousands of fully

released images for the genre

fiction market.

David Toney, Houston

:: has completed training to

become an American Arbitra-

tion Association arbitrator. He

is a partner and construction

team leader for the Houston law

firm Adams and Reese, which

Married and Counting

Alumni Pat Dwyer and Stephen Mosher met in the green room of

UNT’s drama department in fall 1985. It was love at first sight, and the two,

who now live in New York, have been together ever since.

The 2013 documentary Married and Counting, directed by Allan Piper

and narrated by George Takei, followed Dwyer, right, and Mosher, left, as

they celebrated 25 years together and embarked on a journey to get

married in all the states that had legalized same-sex marriage — Vermont,

New Hampshire, Iowa and Massachusetts, and on the steps of the

Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

“Though we couldn’t gain equality under the law in every state, we

wanted to seek the maximum protection we could get,” Dwyer says.

The documentary also follows the couple to their homes in Texas where

they visit their families and make a stop at the RTVF building on campus.

Many of the friends they made at UNT are still in their lives, and they plan

to have a reunion if or when same-sex marriage becomes legal in Texas.

“Our friend Christine Stinson Wetzel insisted she host a ceremony in

her home,” Mosher says. “It will be a party of epic proportions.”

Mosher has been a photographer for 34 years and also is a personal

trainer and a columnist for Edge magazine. His love of photography began

at UNT, where he taught himself as he photographed friends.

Dwyer is an actor working on the stage, performing on television and

recording voice-overs. He recalls UNT’s entry into the American College

Theatre Festival with a production of Children of a Lesser God.

“Being bound together as a company was a magical time,” he says.

Dwyer says that Married and Counting brought the couple closer

together and helped them realign their lives with their true selves. They

plan on resuming the weddings in the spring.

“Married and Counting was all about love and showing the world that

our love is the same as anyone else’s,” Dwyer says.

“If that’s activism, then we are activists,” adds Mosher.

— Awo Eni

Mar

ried

and

Coun

ting

colle

ctio

n


EAGLES’ Nestthan 13 years of experience in

public relations, including work

with the Mans field ISD and

Nolan Catholic High School in

Fort Worth. He is president of

the Greater Fort Worth chapter

of the Public Relations Society of

America.

2000 Mendy Landreth (’02 M.Ed.), Keller :: launched a new website,

youjustgave.com, that provides

parenting, spirituality and health

information and donates money

from advertising sales to charity.

She studied child development

and family studies and worked as

a professional counselor.

Paul Mar-tinez (’03 M.Ed.), Den-ton :: was

named the

new principal at Calhoun Middle

School in Denton. He has worked

in the Denton ISD for 14 years

and previously served as assistant

principal at Denton High School.

He is married to Anyah Mar-tinez (’99, ’04 M.S.). John Woolley and Brett Allen (’00), Fort Worth :: opened their

second location of Woolley’s

Frozen Custard in August 2014.

The new store is on Heritage

Trace Parkway in Fort Worth.

The original store, which is on

North Beach St. in Fort Worth,

opened in 2003. Their menu

includes the Mean Green concrete

(vanilla with mint and oreos).

2001

Emmitt Jackson, Dallas :: is a lieutenant who, in his 12

years in the Dallas Police

Department, has never failed to

decorate offices and cubicles with

a splash of green. He is pictured

with fellow Dallas police officers

and UNT alumni Sgt. Jason Gindratt (’99), left, and Sgt. Dexter Ingram (’91), center.

Adam Knox, Irving :: released

his third novel, the ebook Dyed in the Wool, a psychological

thriller about serial killers in East

Texas in the 1970s. His first two

novels, co-written with Austin Wright (’10), are part of an

action adventure series that con-

tinues this year. The covers for all

three of his released novels were

designed by his fiancée, Sarah Tapp (’11). 2002

Raven Oak (’05 M.S.), Seattle, Wash. :: published her

first novel, Amaskan Blood (Grey

Sun Press) and is following it up

this year with two science fiction

books, The Silent Frontier and

Class-M Exile. She is a former

Denton ISD teacher.

he joined in 2008 to help lead

its construction and real estate

litigation practice. 1994

Bryan Gaskill, Houston ::

joined Pierpont Communications

as vice president of marketing.

He has more than 20 years of

experience in marketing, brand-

ing and communications, work-

ing with clients such as Shell Oil

Co., Halliburton, Dell, Domino’s

Pizza and others.

Tim Rolen, Lewisville ::

retired last year after 23 years of

service with the city of Euless.

He was certified as a playground

inspector, pool operator and

aquatics facility operator.

1995 Paula Waggoner-Aguilar (M.S.), San Antonio :: was

awarded the 2014 Best CFO for

private medium companies by

The San Antonio Business Journal. At her firm The Energy CFO,

she works as an energy CFO

for entrepreneurs and start-ups

across South Texas and Houston.

She and her husband, Roland

Aguilar, share their home with

three rescue dogs.

1996

Jeff Hemphill (’96 M.S.), Dallas :: was

named assur-

ance partner with BDO USA

LLP. He has more than 14 years

of management and supervisory

experience in accounting and

auditing and is a frequent guest

lecturer for local university inter-

nal audit departments.

Ben Patterson, Austin ::

serves as a preparedness section

administrator for the Texas

Division of Emergency Man-

agement, where he oversees the

organization’s training, technical

hazards and exercise units. He

previously was a recovery section

administrator and has served

as state coordinating officer

for several disasters. He has 17

years of experience in emergency

management and grant admin-

istration.

1997 Gene Woodard III, Arling-ton :: established the Gene M.

Woodard Jr. Memorial Schol-

arship Fund Inc., a nonprofit

organization named after his

father that provides scholarship

grants to music students in the

Fort Worth ISD. Tobi Jackson (’85 M.S.), a former teacher and

administrator who serves on the

Fort Worth ISD board of trust-

ees, and Andrew Woodard, a

former TAMS student at UNT,

serve as board members.

1999

Richie Escovedo, Fort Worth :: was named an account

director and public relations

specialist for the Balcom Agency

in Fort Worth. He has more


L E G AC Y Families

Read about other UNT legacy families at northtexan.unt.edu/ legacy-families and share the story of your own UNT legacy.

Four generations of bright and talented Harvill men have attended UNT.

“North Texas is a great school,” says 83-year-old John Bowman Harvill Jr. (’55, ’57 M.S.), alumnus and former adjunct math professor whose father, son and now grandson have all attended UNT.

John Bowman Harvill IV is a student in UNT’s Texas Academy of Mathemat-ics and Science, a two-year residency program for gifted high school students with an interest in math and science.

“It is pretty neat that I’m going here,” says Harvill IV, who will graduate in May. “My dad brought me to UNT when I was younger to show me where my grandpa worked. I also love math, and TAMS was a way to explore it more in depth.”

The first of the Harvills to attend UNT were Marion Madge Donnelly Harvill and John Bowman Harvill Sr. (’30), who was the oldest of 10 children. From Forestburg in Montague County, he took summer courses in the late 1920s to earn his degree while working in the winter as a school teacher.

“My father became a certified teacher of a rural one-room school and he wanted a college degree,” Harvill Jr. says.

His father earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from North Texas in 1930, going on to earn a master’s degree in education from Southern Methodist University. He became the school superintendent of Deport and later worked as an attorney in Paris, Texas.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Harvill Jr. studied at North Texas from 1949 to 1950 before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1951. When the Korean War ended, Harvill set his sights on returning to Denton to finish his UNT degree.

“I joyfully returned to North Texas in 1954 and used the G.I. Bill to complete my degrees in mathematics,” says Harvill, who rented a room from a family living on Hickory Street to pursue his studies.

He remembers dedicated professors Herbert Parrish, J.V. Cook and George Copp, and says they helped make UNT’s math department highly reputable.

“After I graduated, I was hired on the spot during my first job interview with Texas Instruments,” he says, adding that he also served as an adjunct professor in the math department, teaching digital computer programming and numerical analysis classes for four years.

“Being at North Texas was one of the best times of my life,” he says. “I loved that my parents had the same experiences. ”

He was thrilled when his son, John Bowman Harvill III, began taking classes at UNT during his junior year at Denton High School in the early 1980s. Harvill III says high school students with a high enough SAT score could take college courses, so he signed up for math and computer courses at UNT. The courses helped hone his interests, says Harvill III, who is a database administrator at Dell computers in Austin.

Harvill Jr. later in his career taught at SMU and Lamar University, but he says his fondest teaching memories are those from UNT.

“UNT was full of great teachers and mathematicians,” he says.

— Adrienne Nettles

Courtesy of the Harvill Fam

ily

FOLLOWED FOOTSTEPS

From left, John Bowman Harvill Jr. (’55, ’57 M.S.); John Bowman Harvill III holding a portrait of his grandfather, John Bowman Harvill Sr. (’30); and John Bowman Harvill IV.

EAGLES’ Nest

Climb to heights

A love for the environment and childhood education has shaped

Christine Kallstrom’s (’72 Ph.D.) teaching career. Kallstrom, who

earned a doctorate in early childhood education, is director emeritus of

Treetops-in-the-Forest, a nonprofit organization that provides environmental

education for children of all ages and encourages them to explore the

connections of nature to the arts, sciences, social studies and math.

The school, founded in 1989 as an extension of the Treetops School — a

charter school in Euless that Kallstrom helped found — sits on 20 pine-cov-

ered acres in the Davy Crockett National Forest. Kallstrom calls it “a live-in

museum for the harmonious convergence of human and nature.”

Kallstrom, whose late husband, James (’61), and children Kathy (’76)

and Dwight also attended UNT, taught elementary education early in her

career. She formed home school groups when home-schooling her children

and, as the groups grew, helped start a school that could provide the best

education possible for all children. The Treetops School began in the 1970s

as an alternative school, where she realized that both gifted students and

students with learning disabilities benefit from individualized education.

“It’s not about just teaching students to use their strengths and

weaknesses,” she says. “It’s about teaching individuals and finding a way

to stir their interests and realize their potential.”

The school later was a co-op before it became a charter school and

bought the land to start the forest camp. Kallstrom’s hope is that the

students there are able to climb to heights that are not just their own.

“I want students to explore the world that is around them and that is

within them — to get an education not just found in textbooks,” she says.

As a Ph.D. student, Kallstrom remembers going to the office of Velma

Schmidt, her early childhood professor, with 4-year-old Dwight. Schmidt

gave him three shiny rocks to play with while they discussed class.

“Dr. Schmidt taught me that we talk to our children too much,” she says.

“A gesture is more powerful than words.”

— Awo Eni

Gary Payne

William Matthew Quinn, Combine :: was accepted to the

graduate studies program at The

King’s University at Gateway in

Southlake and will be starting in

fall 2015.

Marin Riegger (M.M.), Blacks burg, Va. :: joined the

Graduate School at Virginia

Tech as child care coordinator.

She previously owned and di-

rected Paper Moon Playgroup in

Brooklyn, N.Y., which she began

in 2009 as an early childhood

education program for children

ages 2 to 5.

2003

Jason Lim (M.M.), Denton :: won second place nationally

in the professional orchestra

division of The American Prize

competition for conductors. He

is the music director for Odys-

seus Chamber Orchestra in

McKinney and Frisco. He won

two third-place awards last year.

2004

Scott Lindsey, Denton ::

founded Audacity Brew House,

the first brewery in Denton, with

Doug Smith. Audacity, which

opened in October, also has a

fully functional bar that serves

their craft beers on tap.

2006

Hal Hilliard, Wantagh, N.Y. ::

received the Highly Commended

Applied Paper Award at a Cor-

porate Communication Interna-

tional conference in Hong Kong

for his paper on the rebranding

of the Associated Press. He

recently earned a master’s in cor-

porate communication from the

Weissman School of Arts and

Sciences and is a senior design

manager in the AP’s corporate

communication department.

Howard Sherman (M.F.A.), Houston :: has artwork fea-

tured on the cover of the book

Texas Abstract: Modern + Con-temporary as an example of the

future of contemporary art in

Texas. An essay about him and

photos of some of his other

works are included in the book.

His artwork also is featured in

museums, at the Houston Bush

Intercontinental Airport and at

Houston City Hall.

2007

April Kelly, Bronx, N.Y. :: studied cheetah physiology and

ecosystem management with the

Cheetah Conservation Fund in

Namibia last summer. A flight

attendant at United Airlines, she

took the graduate course in pur-

suit of her master’s from Miami

University’s Global Field Program.

Charles Luke (Ed.D.), Lipan ::

was appointed to the Child Wel-

fare League of America’s Faith-

Based Advisory Committee. He


Nick

Marino (’10)

surprised Halie Gibbs, an

integrative

studies major

and Honors

College junior,

with a marriage proposal on the NBC Today show Feb. 9.

Nick is director of social change for the app TangoTab,

which feeds people in need in your community when you

use a deal or check in at a partner restaurant. Halie is the

North Texas Coalition coordinator for Drug Prevention

Resources Inc., and the two have started the nonprofit

Unconventional Hope to help those affected by suicide,

depression and mental illness. As Nick said in his proposal,

“We were meant to change the world together.”

In February, media such as The New York Times and

CNN covered a unique performance by the jazz band

Animation, led by Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Bob Belden (’78) — unique because it also was covered by the

Tehran Times and Al Jazeera. Part of the 30th Fajr Interna-

tional Music Festival in Tehran, the concert marked a

cultural breakthrough as the first by American musicians in

Iran since the 1979 revolution. Animation includes Roberto Verastegui (’11) on keyboards, Pete Clagett (’12 M.M.) on trumpet and senior jazz studies major Matt Young on

drums. A CD and LP of the concert are due out this summer.

Samra Bufkins (’87 M.J.), social media expert

and lecturer in UNT’s Mayborn School of Journalism, was a

contestant on the Feb. 28 broadcast of National Public

Radio’s news quiz, Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! After host

Peter Sagal commented on her name, which he said

sounded like “a character from Game of Thrones or a curse

in Harry Potter,” she correctly answered three out of three

questions on homeland security, Hillary Clinton and the

latest theory on the cause of the Black Death — gerbils. She

also managed to plug UNT and share some public relations

advice. Her winning prize is scorekeeper emeritus Carl

Kasell’s voice on her home answering machine.

. . . . . . I N T H E / / Newswill be part of a national group of

faith leaders who will help the

league expand its work into the

faith arena. He currently serves

as executive director of the Tar-

rant County Spiritual Care Net-

work in Fort Worth.

Jeffrey Mitchell (M.S.), Albu-querque, N.M. :: graduated cum

laude from the University of

New Mexico with a juris doctor-

ate and M.B.A. He also passed

the New Mexico Bar and has

joined the firm of Doughty,

Alcaraz & deGraauw in Albu-

querque as an associate attorney

specializing in litigation and

election law.

2009

Jeff W. Kline, Oklahoma City :: was named to the “Forty

Under 40” list of community and

business leaders by the Oklahoma Gazette and OKC Biz Journal. He

also earned a spot on the “Thirty

Under 30” list by Ion Oklahoma

Online. He is an associate attor-

ney at Bays Law Firm PC, where

he assists clients in family law

matters, bankruptcy, adoptions

and criminal defense cases.

2011 Lauren Gay, Carrollton ::

received the 2014 Innovations in

STEM Teaching Award from the

Texas Instruments Foundation,

given to secondary math and

science teachers who demonstrate

high-quality instruction and

build student achievement. She is

a math teacher at Richardson

ISD and an alumna of the UNT

Teach North Texas program.

2013 Kevin Smith, Flower Mound :: won a position in the first

violin section of the Baltimore

Symphony Orchestra — mak-

ing him one of the youngest

graduates to win such a position

with a major orchestra. He joins

Madeline Adkins (’98), who

serves as the orchestra’s associate

concertmaster.

2014

Janae Graves, Hutto ::

began serving as a secondary

education English volunteer for

the Peace Corps in Rwanda in

September. She spent her first

three months living with a host

family to learn the local language

and culture and will spend the

next two years of service teaching

middle and high school students.

Sarah Wright, Fort Worth :: is

now working

as junior art

director at the Balcom Agency, an

advertising firm in Fort Worth.

She previously had internships at

Balcom and at White’s Chapel

United Methodist Church in

Southlake and The Karma

Group in Green Bay, Wis. As a

student, her awards included a

Silver Addy at the national level

of the 2013 Student American

Advertising Awards.

Cour

tesy

of T

oday


F R I E N D S W E ’ L L M I S S

UNT’s 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 4).

Read more, write memorials and connect with friends at northtexan.unt.edu.

University Community

Edmond ‘Ed’ Daniel DeLatte, 84,

who served as

an associate

professor of theatre in the Depart-

ment of Dance and Drama from 1984

until his retirement in 1995, died

Feb. 12 in Dallas. He founded the

Dallas Repertory Theatre in 1969.

Throughout his career he directed

70 plays and musicals. He was a

member of Actor’s Equity and the

Screen Actors Guild for more than

40 years and appeared in dozens

of films and commercials. While he

was at UNT, he received the Service

Learning Award, and the Ed DeLatte

Musical Theatre Scholarship was

established in his honor. He earned

his bachelor’s degree at Texas

Christian University, a master’s de-

gree in religious education and dra-

ma from Brite Divinity School and a

Master of Fine Arts in theatre from

Southern Methodist University. Do-

nations may be made in his memory

to UNT’s Ed DeLatte Musical Theatre

Scholarship or Department of Dance

and Theatre.

Andy Everest, 90,

died Dec. 21 in

Arlington. He

was assistant

head football coach for the Mean

Green under Hayden Fry from 1973

to 1978 and athletic director from

1979 to 1981. He was inducted into

UNT’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004

for his work, which included helping

coach the Mean Green to some of

the best seasons in program history

and raising money for new athletic

facilities. He served as head coach

at the University of California at

Santa Barbara and held positions

at Southern Methodist University,

Stanford, Foothill College and the

University of Utah, as well as with

the Italian professional league and

the New Orleans Saints. He was

inducted into the All-American Foot-

ball Foundation Hall of Fame in 1997.

He served in the U.S. Navy during

World War II before attending the

University of Texas at El Paso, where

he was a star football player.

Clark ‘Corky’ Nel-son, 75, one of

the winningest

coaches in

1940s Mary Keith Stephenson (’41), Denton :: She graduat-

ed magna cum laude with a

degree in Spanish and a minor in

English. She taught for a year in

Mirando City and worked as a

codebreaker at the National

Security Agency from 1943 to

1947 in Washington, D.C. Her

family had a dairy farm in Canton

for 12 years and a floral shop in

Jacksonville for 20 years. She is

survived by five children,

including William H. Ste-phenson (’73) and Debra M. Stephenson Landis (’73), and

a niece, Rita Joyce Stephenson Lokie (’73). Nell Chandler (’43, ’47 M.S.), Fort Sumner, N.M. ::

She spent her career teaching in

New Mexico, and many of her

students attribute their careers as

teachers to her motivation. She is

a member of the New Mexico

Teacher Hall of Fame.

Polly Sweet Wagner (’44),

Silver Spring, Md. :: She

worked for the Pentagon,

NATO, the Veteran’s Adminis-

tration and the Food and Drug

Administration. She was an avid

cook and gardener, and a fan of

animals, art, jazz and opera. Her

aunt was longtime faculty

member Mary Sweet.

1950s William C. Pinson, Little Rock, Ark. :: He attended

North Texas in 1954. He served

as a musician in the U.S. Navy

and later worked in petroleum

sales, teaching and performing

music on the side. His wife of 51

years, Marguerite Swilley Pinson (’78 M.M.), who died

in 2013, also attended in the

1950s and returned to earn her

master’s degree in voice. She

taught music at elementary

schools and universities and was

a painter in her later years.

Ralph L. ‘Buddy’ Cole Jr. (’55), Pilot Point :: He was a

member of Kappa Alpha at

North Texas. He worked in

banking and served as a Denton

County commissioner and judge.

A hunter and fisher, he was a

Texas Master Naturalist and

wrote outdoors columns for the

Denton Record-Chronicle and the

Pilot Point Post Signal.

EAGLES’ Nest


Send memorials to honor UNT

alumni and friends, made payable

to the UNT Foundation, to Univer-

sity of North Texas, Division of

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

development.unt.edu/givenow. For

more information, email giving@

unt.edu or call 940-565-2900.

Memorials

Mary Kay Herring Eddings (’55), Burnet :: She taught

school and earned a master’s

degree at UT-Permian Basin

while raising her family, who

sometimes called her “FEMA”

because of her busy schedule of

service. She was a charter

member of the Delta Gamma

fraternity and a member of Phi

Gamma Kappa and the Future

Teachers of America.

Floyd D. ‘Jack’ Krodell Jr. (’57), Fayetteville, Ark. :: He

belonged to the Delta Sigma Phi

fraternity, served in the U.S.

Army, worked as manager of the

General Adjustment Bureau in

Little Rock for 35 years and sang

in the Singing Men of Arkansas.

Survivors include his wife,

Carolyn Krodell (’58). Donald Ray ‘Don’ Smith (’58), Grapevine :: He

attended North Texas on a

football scholarship and later

worked in law enforcement,

serving for many years as a

probation officer and director for

the Dallas County Juvenile

Department and as director of

adult probation in Tarrant

County. Survivors include his

brother C. Dan Smith (’62).

1960s John F. Clouse Jr. (’64), Azle :: He worked for the Texas

Workforce Commission for 30

years. He was a member of the

National Rifle Association and

the Bass Anglers Sportsman

Society, and he was an alumni life

member of the FFA and recipient

of the Lone Star Farmer Degree.

Survivors include his wife,

Earlene Slate Clouse (’67). Gloria LaVonne Wright Russell (’64), Houston :: She taught English in the Dallas

ISD and worked as a legal

secretary. She was passionate

about genealogy and was a

20-year member of the Houston

Genealogical Forum, which she

served as president for four

terms.

1980s David Gish (’84), San Marcos :: He was a member of

the Texas State University

athletic training staff since 1990

and served as head athletic

trainer since 1998. He was

serving as president of the

executive board of the Southwest

Athletic Trainers’ Association.

He received an award from the

National Athletic Trainers’

Association in 2010 for his

service to the profession.

2010s Anita Eugster, Sanger :: She

began working at UNT in 2003

and was classified as a senior in

the College of Business, where

she majored in real estate. She

retired as a student services

specialist in the Office of the

Registrar last fall.

Joseph Nedbalek, Pasadena :: He was a radio, television and

film major and Honors College

student while at UNT from

2010 to 2013. He was a member

of the National Society of

Collegiate Scholars, Alpha

Lambda Delta and Golden Key.

Jaclyn Moehring (’14), Plano :: She was a student in

the College of Public Affairs and

Community Service. Her

bachelor’s degree in applied arts

and sciences was awarded

posthumously in December.

Candice M. Tunnell, Double Oak. :: She was a senior

working on her teacher certifica-

tion in the College of Education

and was known for her love of

children and of teaching.

North Texas football history, died

Nov. 17 in Temple. He was head

football coach from 1982 to 1990

and also served as athletic director

in 1990. He was inducted into

UNT’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013

after bringing order to Mean Green

football in the 1980s. His teams

won the Southland Conference

championship in 1983, when he

was named conference coach of the

year, and went to the Division I-AA

playoffs three times. After playing

football at Texas State University,

he began his coaching career at

the high school level and also

coached at Baylor University and the

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

He is survived by his wife, Judy Buckles Nelson (’80 M.S.), former women’s basketball coach

at UNT.

Charldean Newell (’60,

’62 M.A.),

75, Regents

Professor

Emerita of public administration,

died Nov. 22 in Denton. She retired

from UNT in 2002 after 37 years on

the faculty. She served as chair of

the political science department,

as associate vice president for

academic affairs and as assistant to

the chancellor for planning. She was

a mentor to hundreds of students

and colleagues. Even after her

retirement, she wrote textbooks,

taught courses for the Interna-

tional City/County Management

Association and served in a number

of charity efforts. She also was the

founding director of special projects

for the Federation of North Texas

Area Universities. She earned her

North Texas degrees in journalism

and government and a doctorate in

government from the University of

Texas in 1968.


T H E LAST Word

GENERATIONS OF GROWTH

by John Lovelace (’52)

MY PERSPECTIVE ON growth and change at UNT comes in two parts. One is from summers in the mid-1930s when my dad, William True Lovelace (’38, ’40 M.S.) was completing first a baccalaureate and then a master’s degree in education at North Texas.

We lived near campus, and I spent lots of time playing on those shaded grounds, admiring, from afar, the President’s Home, hearing ’Fessor and the Aces outdoors (weather permitting), enduring organ recitals in the Main Auditorium and skating on curvaceous sidewalks.

I remember attending Demonstration School where my dad was the principal, having lunch at the boarding house where he and my mother, the former Cleo Wayne Crandall, had met, and enjoying the serenity of a pre-war campus.

In 1949, when I returned as a mid- semester freshman, the post-war building boom had produced or was producing the all-male Quads and a new Journalism Building. Talk of a new gym was in the air. The golf team won the NCAA championship four years in a row, and, as editor of the 1952 Yucca, I broke tradition by opening the sports section with a double-page wire service photo of my classmate, Billy Maxwell, winning the 1951 U.S. Amateur golf title.

Football, featuring a darn good running back named Ray Renfro (later with the Cleveland Browns), came next, then basketball, track and field.

With encouragement from faculty advisor J.D. Hall, the Yucca spent extra

bucks that year hiring a Dallas-based fashion photographer, Max Plake, to shoot the student-elected “beauties.” The beauties’ gowned full-page vertical pictures continue to dazzle me each time I look through the book. The Who’s Who pages likewise benefited from Max’s keen on-campus individual portraiture.

By 1952, local chapters of national fraternities and sororities were on the scene, urged there, I’ve been told, by Dean Imogene Bentley as an antidote to the historic local groups. The Campus Chat was honing the skills of rapidly employ-able journalists like Bill Brammer, subsequent author of a novel about a not-too-disguised Lyndon B. Johnson, and an international news service reporter named Ray Moseley.

Music majors like Monte Hill Davis, Ivan Davis, Dale Peters and Juanita Teal (later Mrs. Dale Peters) were setting high pre-professional standards, the Great Chorus was singing with the Dallas Symphony and Frank McKinley’s A Cappella Choir was about as good as it gets at the collegiate level.

My dad said that in the summer of 1937 Dr. Wilfred C. Bain organized some

of the sizable number of music teachers and singers on hand into the first a cappella choir. My dad was in it and, through the years, spoke proudly of it. In doing so, he unwittingly set a goal for me. And in the fall of 1950 I tried out with Frank McKinley and made it! The choir toured as far away as southern Illinois that year and recorded a Bach double motet and other choice vocalise at a studio in Dallas. The aforementioned Juanita Teal, by the way, was also in the choir.

Yearbook duties, courtship opportuni-ties and, of course, occasional homework filled my senior year, 1951-52, so I had just the one year in the choir.

From my parents’ days there in the 1920s and ’30s to mine and my wife’s in the 1940s and ’50s, North Texas outgrew its “teachers college” status and began the ongoing march to international recogni-tion as a multi-sited, multi-purpose university that, by the way, still harvests a mighty fine crop of school teachers. Lovelace earned a master’s in religious journalism from Syracuse University and retired as editor of The United Methodist Reporter, a national weekly newspaper.

Michael Clem

ents

John Lovelace has been married for 62 years to the former Mary Ellen Reynolds (’52), “the jewel of all my years at UNT.”


800-UNT-2366 | 940-565-2527meangreensports.com

Buy your tickets now and cheer the Mean Green to victory!

— KATHLENE STRUNK, MEAN GREEN CENTER FIELDER

Senior center fi elder Kathlene Strunk is well-adjusted to success as a star player on the winningest softball team in UNT history. With the fourth most runs batted in ever for the Mean Green, Strunk was named Conference USA’s Newcomer of the Year last season — the first UNT softball student-athlete to receive the award.

Success of this kind does not come overnight. It takes hard work and an environment of committed players and coaches. Strunk says college ball gave her a renewed love of the sport and she has discovered what she’s capable of as an individual and as part of a dedicated team with the attitude to win.


UNT’s Cape Horn Field Station and Omora Ethnobotanical Park in the UNESCO Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve in South America was the site for the International Association of Bryology World Conference in January. Hosted by UNT’s Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program and Center for Environmental Philosophy with the Chilean Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity and the University of Magallanes, the conference marked the fi rst time environmental philosophers and ecologists from across the world have converged at Omora’s Navarino Island to share their perspectives and discuss research on mosses and lichens.

The North Texan U N I V E R S I T Y O F N O R T H T E X A S Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing1155 Union Circle #311070 Denton, Texas 76203-5017

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the north texan - unt alumni magazine - spring 2015

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