Joshua C. Chilton first described UNT as “independent, original and progressive” in his inaugural speech opening the university in 1890. In the 125 years since then the university has more than lived up to his expectations. The University Archive holds countless photographs, artifacts and publications which tell the remarkable story of UNT from its beginnings in a downtown hardware store to its place today as the one of the nation’s largest public universities. This book features stories about the people and events that helped to define the character and spirit of UNT. Each story is illustrated with photographs and artifacts specially chosen from the Special Collections department and the Music Library, both part of the UNT Libraries, whose staff are proud to share these wonderful memories with you.​

Donald Lee Thomas was born in Dallas, Texas in 1943. Before graduating high school he enlisted, at age 17, in the U.S. Navy, serving several tours of duty before being ordered to Vietnam in 1968. There he served as part of Medical Unit Self-Contained Transportable ONE, a joint Navy and Marine Corps crew which operated an experimental infl atable hospital with jet turbine engines. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V” for his service in Vietnam. In 1972 Mr. Thomas graduated with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences from the University of North Texas and briefly joined the library faculty of the University of Arizona before being accepted for commissioning in the Navy Medical Service Corp in 1973. In his first commissioned position as Assistant Chairman of the Educational Resources Department at the Naval Medical Center of Bethesda, Maryland his duties included management of the professional library. Mr. Thomas retired from the Navy in 1986 to pursue his interest in librarianship. He served in faculty librarian positions at Baylor Health Science Library and Texas A&M University before taking an administrative position with the Harris County Public Library System where he has responsibility for Financial Services …