Mattye Lou Jared Denton (BS ’31, MS ’50) passed away March 1998 in Garland, TX. She taught in the elementary grades 31 years, retiring after 20 years with Garland ISD.

Fred W. McKeown (BS ’31, MS ’50) died on April 12, 2000 at Heritage Nursing Home in Quitman. He was a school teacher and superintendent in Hill County and an expert violinist, holding lst chair while at East Texas State University. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II.

Willie James (Bill) Wheatley (BA ’34, MED ’50) passed away on April 14, 2000 at 97 years of age. He taught math and Spanish at various schools in Texas for 38 years. His wife, a son, and a daughter also graduated from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Lois B. Peery (BS ’35, MED ’53) passed away April 9, 2000 in Kemp following a long illness. She was a schoolteacher for 35 years with Kemp ISD and also taught in Ft. Worth and Eustace. She was very involved in church and civic activities.

Travis D. Hale (BS ’38, MED ’52) died March 9, 2000 in Bogata after a long illness. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was a former principal and superintendent of Bogata School and became superintendent of Rivercrest schools when Bogata and Talco consolidated. When he retired, he was principal of Clarksville Middle School.

Virgie Beth Hughes (BS ’39, MS ’48) passed away on April 9, 2000. She taught in Mt. Pleasant High School in the 1940s and for over 30 years in the Mt. Vernon Schools. She was the first woman selected as Woman of the Year in Franklin County when the awards were commenced in 1979, and was the first woman elected to the Franklin County Hall of Fame, established to honor local civic leaders in 1986.

Imogene Knight Newport (BS ’39) died on April 8, 2000 in an Eldorado, TX nursing home. She taught school for 32 years, teaching in Fashing, Sanderson, Iraan, Sheffield and Eldorado.

Rachael S. Powe (BS ’40) passed away on February 26, 2000 in Longview. She retired after 40 years with the Kilgore ISD as a second grade teacher.

Robert Don Foster (BSA ’42) passed away on November 16, 1999, in Dallas. While at the University, he was a member of the Artema fraternity. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was retired from the IRS, for which he supervised five states during his employment.

Mamie Jo Collins (BS ’44) passed away March 18, 2000 in Bonham. She taught school in Randolph, Dodd City and Hilger.

Glenda Weir Irvin (BS ’46, MED ’61) of Sulphur Springs passed away March 28, 2000. She was a retired schoolteacher, having taught in the Ashgrove, North Hopkins and Dallas ISD. She was also a member of several civic and professional organizations. Her daughter, Dr. Janet Walker, teaches in the Department of General Business and Systems Management at A&M-Commerce.

Lucile Fern Amburg (BS ’47, MED ’52) of Tyler passed away on April 9, 2000. She was a retired teacher from Moore Junior High School.

Eugenia "Genie" Greene Dingler (MA ’48) passed away February 29, 2000 in Nocona, TX. She taught school 47 years, 28 of those at Brownsboro. She was awarded the Teacher of the Year Award for 1971-72 while at Arapaho Elementary School in Richardson. She retired in 1972, but continued to substitute teach in Brownsboro.

Jack J. Hall (BS ’48) died March 6, 2000 in Forth Worth. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and again during the Korean War as a radio/photo operator. He was a longtime employee of Lone Star Gas Company, retiring in 1989 after 42 years.

Joe H. Bell (BS ’49) of Pasadena, TX passed away on May 3, 2000. He taught school in Lamar County, Oklahoma and Houston for over 40 years.

Alva Kenneth "Quizzy" Quesenberry, Sr. (BS ’49, MS ’52) passed away on May 6, 2000 in Garland. He served in World War II and taught and coached in the Dallas ISD for 16 years. He retired as a sales representative for a sporting goods company and was known as "The Voice of the Cotton Bowl" during the 1960s, serving as the p.a. announcer.

Arlie Sue Peters (BS ’52, MED ’62) passed away on May 1, 2000. She began her teaching career at View Point School when she was 17 years old, and then taught at East Delta and Cooper, retiring in 1985 after 35 years in education. She was active in many civic organizations.

Edward C. Shive (BS ’52) of Big Springs, passed away on July 19, 1999 at his home at the age of 82. He worked as an area consultant for industrial education with the Texas Education Agency from 1958 until 1979, when he retired. He also taught at Big Springs High School for six years.

Alton Allen (BS ’53) of Athens, TX passed away on April 29, 2000. He was the owner and operator of Alton Allen Insurance and Real Estate Agency, which was established in 1948 in Athens.

William Brooks Arthur (BS ’53, MED ’57) passed away in April 2000 in Commerce. He was a member of the ROTC at ETSU and was a veteran in the United States Air Force. He served as a principal for the Quinlan Independent School District from 1971 to 1984.

Rex Edward Shelton (MED ’53) died April 16, 2000 in Bonham. He served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He was band director at the high school and middle school levels in Texas and Oklahoma. Following retirement from Borger, TX he and his wife moved to Pottsboro and he continued his music career playing in Bill Collins’ and Lloyd Wooten’s bands around the North Texas area.

J. D. Menasco (BS ’55, MS ’78) died in Kemp, TX on March 7, 2000 of lung cancer. He was retired from a coaching career of 41 years, the last 15 at Tyler Jr. College. Coaching honors include Texas Sportswriters Award as High School Basketball in 1970; Coach of the North Basketball All-Stars, 1970; District Coach of the Year, 1964, 65, 66, 69, and 70; and, Outstanding Coach in 1997 by Texas A&M University-Commerce. He was married to Shirley Hanson Menasco (BBA ’56).

Hoyt Wayne Gideon (BBA ’56) of Sulphur Springs, TX passed away on April 14, 2000. He was owner of Gideon Insurance Agency and was a general agent in the life insurance business for over 42 years.

Melba M. Miller (BS ’56) of Greenville, TX passed away on March 30, 2000 in Dallas. She was previously employed as Hunt County School Superintendent.

Clifton Nelson (BS ’56) died on March 11, 2000 at his residence. He was a licensed funeral director and a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in the Korean conflict. In 1961, he joined the Naval Reserve and also served as a Navy Recruiting Officer, retiring in 1978. He lived in Grand Prairie for 36 years before returning to Wills Point in 1997.

Chuck Shields (BS ’58) passed away April 3, 2000 in Arlington. He served in the U.S. Air Force for nine years and was a veteran of the Korean conflict. He retired from a marketing career in aviation, which included Bell Helicopter, Rockwell and Aerospatiale.

John H. Henry (MED ’61) passed away on April 7, 2000 in College Station, TX. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korea conflict from 1952 to 1954. He retired from the Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service in 1984 after 29 years of service.

Furman D. Milton (MED ’61, PHD ’69) passed away on December 2, 1999. He retired in 1994 from the administration of Eastfield College, Dallas County Community College District, and lived at Cedar Creek Lake.

Sarah Kay Wright Drake (BS ’63) of Sherman passed away on April 3, 2000. She worked as a career specialist at Workforce Texoma for 10 years and retired in 1999.

William Truett (Bill) Harlin (BS ’64) died on April 16, 2000. He worked in the asphalt business for many years, first with Cosden Oil Company and American Petrofina Oil Company, from which he retired in 1995. After retirement, he consulted for Trifinery before going to work for American International Refinery, Inc.

Martha Elizabeth Bickham Etzel (MED ’65) passed away May 8, 2000 in Corsicana. She was a first grade teacher at Sam Houston Elementary School for 26 years, retiring in 1977. She was an active volunteer in the community and church.

Otha Wayne Boozer (BS ’68, MS ’69) passed away on February 6, 2000. He was a geologist for 20 years, and served as manager of international exploration at Atlantic Richfield. At the time of his death, he was serving as consultant to Sojourner Douglass College in Baltimore, MD.

Clarence Lee Brown (MS ’69) passed away April 24, 2000 at his home after an extended illness. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a flight engineer during World War II. After 20 years, he retired with the rank of Master Sergeant. He taught school in the Tyler and Dallas school districts until his retirement.

Frances Ann Holley Cline (MED ’71) died on December 18, 1999 in Athens, TX.

Allison C. Tucker, Sr. (MS ’71, MS ’74) passed away May 3, 2000 in Dallas. He began teaching music in Mexia, TX in 1955. He was a band director for the rest of his career, 27 of those years at Lincoln High School.

Johnnie Mae Whitfield Johnson (MED ’72) passed away in April of 2000. She taught school and was a licensed barber, working in that capacity for a short time.

Terrence William Middle (BS ’72), Coppell, TX, passed away in March 2000 at his home. He served in the U.S. Army. As a computer technician, he worked at Texas Instruments and various contracting companies in software development.

Alvin Futch (MS ’73) died May 11, 2000 in Tyler, TX. He joined the Department of Public Safety in the driver’s license division and later worked in the highway patrol as safety education officer. He also directed the police academies at Lamar University and Central Texas College.

Linda Lee Brown (BS ’81, MS ’88) passed away on March 24, 2000. She had been an employee of The Canton Herald for 16 years and managing editor since 1994. She was also the managing editor of the Wills Point Chronicle and the Van Zandt News. She was also extensively involved in community affairs.

Neomia Delores Tooke (MS ’81) of Garland, TX passed away on April 28, 2000. She was librarian for several schools from 1969 until retirement in January 1986.

Charles H. Wadley, Jr. (MS ’97) passed away on March 23, 2000 in Estes Park, CO. He worked as a counselor in family therapy and had recently earned his real estate license and was to begin work at Coldwell Banker.

Robert Lee "R. L." Jones (Former Faculty) passed away May 30, 2000. He retired in 1964 as head of the History Department and moved to Arlington in 1968.

Horace Samuel Anders (Former Student) died on March 13, 2000 in Houston. He worked for E. I. DuPont in Dallas, retiring in 1981.

Julian Henry Harvey (Former Student) passed away on April 9, 2000. He owned and operated Model Cleaners in Commerce for over 35 years.

Patsy Hatton (Former Student) passed away on March 2, 2000 in Fort Worth. She taught school for 33 years.

Lee Harrell Ivie (Former Student) passed away on April 12, 2000 in an Emory nursing home. She retired after 27 years of service at New Home, Emory and Rains schools.

Jerry W. Reeder (Former Student) passed away on May 1, 2000. He was an all-state running back in 1964. Before retiring, he was a sheet metal journeyman for Hollady Sheetmetal Co.

Michael C. Stovall (Former Student) passed away on May 16, 2000 in Garland. He served in the U. S. Air Force from 1976-1980 and was a history teacher and football coach for Dallas ISD.

Bobby Carl Williams (Former Student) died March 14, 2000 in Sherman. He served in the U.S. Army and was involved in the banking business, including the last 22 years as the senior vice president of the First Bank, Howe.

Hildred Lois Ainsworth Shaw (Former Employee) passed away on May 28, 2000 in Paris,TX. She was a life-long resident of Klondike.