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Aline Wood Tarrant (BS ’55)—July 16. She taught in Grand Prairie ISD for 24 years at Bowie Elementary, Jefferson Junior High and Grand Prairie High School, retiring in 1978.
James Douglas Barber (BS ’56)—July 6. He taught mathematics for 35 years at Quitman High School, Quitman, TX. He sponsored academic competitions and coached state champions in the UIL and was awarded the Citizen of the Year by the Quitman Chamber of Commerce in 1987.
Rena Marie Rea Macnab (BS ’56)—May 17. She was a teacher at Chapel Hill (TX) ISD, Tyler Junior College and in the Special Education Department of Tyler ISD for many years.
Tyson Hill Barnes Sr. (MED ’58)—July 3. He was employed by Henderson Co. Junior College for five years. In 1953, he joined the faculty of Kemp High School, where he served as a teacher for 30 years, teaching vocational agriculture.
Wilma Cain Matlock (BS ’58)—Aug. 9. She was a retired librarian for East Texas State University.
Charles Davis Woodfin (BS ’59, MED ’62)—May 20. He served in the Dallas banking community for 21 years, holding a variety of positions including president of Grove State Bank, president and chief operating officer of Skyline Savings and vice president of American Federal Savings. He retired from banking in February from Guaranty Federal Bank in Paris, TX.
Virginia Ann Robertson Kiker-Bills (MED ’61)—June 1. She taught music at Fourth Ward Elementary School in Paris (TX) ISD from 1953 until her retirement in 1973.
James Samuel Moss (BS ’65)—May 30. He was a former Fannin County District Attorney and practiced law in Bonham, TX for many years. Following service as District Attorney, he resumed his own law practice until his death.
Ajauna Gayle Grant Willis (BA ’71)—July 19. She lived in Tyler for the last eight years, and was previously an English teacher for Quitman ISD.
Jerry Grubbs (BS ’72)—July 15. He was a student at Eastfield College studying to become a substance abuse counselor.
Ralph J. Brown (BS ’73, MED ’74)—Aug. 3. He was a 50-year member of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers and was a retired teacher from Fort Worth ISD.
Everett Gene Hinson (BS ’73)—May 30. He was employed with the Texas Highway Department as the district plan reviewer until his retirement in September 1993. Employed by A&M-Commerce is daughter, Lisa Rhoades (BS ’83, MED ’02), who is director of the Children’s Learning Center.
Dr. Tommy Glover Eads (MS ’76)—June 19. He passed away in Winston-Salem, NC where he was conducting a teacher training workshop in mathematics. He taught mathematics in North Lamar ISD, Paris, TX since 1978 and has been technology coordinator for the district since 1986. He was the recipient of the Texas Excellence Award for Outstanding High School Teachers in 1995 and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 1986 and 1989.
Dianne Ward Ross (BS ’76, MED ’79)—Aug. 22, 2001. She was a first-grade teacher at Rivercrest Elementary School. She was married to Ronny Ross (BS ’76) and they resided in Bogata. She died in an automobile accident near Sulphur Springs.
Ora Lee Peace (MED ’77)—July 31. She taught physical science and chemistry at Dallas’ Franklin D. Roosevelt High School beginning in 1977. She later taught mathematics at John B. Hood Middle School, retiring in 2001.
Rick Badgett (BMED ’78)—July 15. He taught band in Texas schools for 17 years, then began selling band uniforms for Demoulin Brothers Company, where he was a “Millionaire” top salesman many times.
Linda Walls Clark (MED ’78)—July 4. She was an elementary school teacher in Irving, Amarillo and Claude during her 30-year career. She spent 15 years as the regional Head Start program coordinator for the Region XVI Education Service Center.
Mary Ann Fittipaldi (MA ’81)—June 6. A photographer, she generated a portfolio in both black and white and color that covered portraiture, landscapes and corporate-commissioned work. She apprenticed under Ansel Adams.
Dixie Sue Bonds Shugart (MED ’82)—May 30. She was a teacher for 41 years at Cooper and Spring Creek elementary schools in the Garland (TX) ISD.
Clara N. Gamez (BA ’84)—She taught school in Rustin, Greenville, Point and at C. P. Anderson in Dallas.
Gary Lynn Willard (BBA ’86)—June 20. Many rodeo performers remembered him greeting them as the helpful character “Gary Bob,” the self-proclaimed “back gate man” of the Mesquite Rodeo.
Ricky Ray Raymond (MED ’92)—Aug. 4. He was a resident of Kaufman.

In Memory of Former Students
Bethany Cartwright—May 30. She resided in Wills Point.
Mary Julia Flagg Courtney—July 1. She resided in Athens.
Rev. Clarence Joshua Deckard—Aug. 1. He served as associate minister of Beautiful Gate Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas.

Dr. Alton Goddard
Flags at A&M-Commerce were at half staff July 19 in memory of long-time employee and much-esteemed head of the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, Dr. Alton Ray Goddard.
In 1971 Dr. Goddard founded the first computer science department in the state of Texas at this University and gave it the distinction of offering the first undergraduate degree in computer science.
Survivors include three sons and Dr. Goddard’s wife, Wynell Pittman Goddard, who received her bachelor’s and master’s of business administration degrees from ETSU.
Son Larry Pittman Goddard is also an Alumnus and was assistant to the associate vice president for academic affairs at A&M-Commerce. Another son, Jimmy Lee Goddard of Cross Roads, Texas, also survives, along with wife, Donna, as well as son Daniel Ray Goddard and wife Janet of San Antonio. Daniel also is an Alumnus and past editor of The East Texan.
Services for Dr. Goddard, 70, of Tyler, Texas, were at First Baptist Church, Tyler, with Rev. Gene Davenport and Dr. Ron Prince officiating.
Dr. Stephen Rainwater provided the eulogy. Burial was at Rosehill Cemetery.
Dr. Goddard was born Feb. 5, 1932, in Big Spring, Texas, to Arnold Clay and Lillie Walters Goddard.
He received his bachelor of arts degree from Howard Payne University in 1954, his master’s of science from North Texas State University in 1961 and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 1969.
He married Wynell Pittman on May 15, 1954, in Brownwood, Texas.
After 20 years of service, Dr. Goddard retired as a commander in the Naval Reserve. He had served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict.
Dr. Goddard taught mathematics and computer science at Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University and East Texas State University.
Throughout the 1970s, while department chair at ETSU, he was a pioneer in computer education, developed international computer users conferences, presented papers of his work to renowned organizations across the United States and was known as a leader in the higher education field.
In 1980 Dr. Goddard accepted a position at the University of Texas at Tyler until his retirement from education in 1984.
He was owner of Rose Capital Realty from 1984 until 1995. During his retirement, Dr. Goddard traveled extensively with his wife.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Tyler and the Christians In Action Sunday school class. He also was a member of several professional organizations.
Memorials may be made to Hospice of East Texas or the Alton and Wynell Goddard Scholarship Endowment through the A&M-Commerce Foundation.

Flags lowered at A&M-Commerce in honor of Dr. Alton Goddard, 1932-2002.