Photograph of a picnic table at the rest area on northbound Interstate 35 in Cooke County.

Photograph of I-35 from the pedestrian bridge of I-35 East. This view is towards the northwest and shows one branch of where I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W in Denton.

Photograph of the split of Interstate 35 into I-35W and I-35E in Denton, Texas.

Photograph of the overpass exit from Interstate 35 East to Interstate 35 West where Interstate 35 splits in Denton, Texas.

The aim of this thesis is to narrate and analyze lynching and atypical violence in Denton County, Texas, between 1920 and 1926. Through this intensive study of a rural county in north Texas, the role of law enforcement in typical and systemic violence is observed and the relationship between Denton County Officials and the Ku Klux Klan is analyzed. Chapter 1 discusses the root of the word lynching and submits a call for academic attention to violence that is unable to be categorized as lynching due to its restrictive definition. Chapter 2 chronicles known instances of lynching in Denton County from its founding through the 1920s including two lynchings perpetrated by Klavern 136, the Denton County Klan. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between Denton County Law Enforcement and the Klan. In Chapter 4, seasons of violence are identified and applied to available historical records. Chapter 5 concludes that non-lynching violence, termed "disappearances," occurred and argues on behalf of its inclusion within the historiography of Jim Crow Era criminal actions against Black Americans. In the Prologue and Epilogue, the development and dissolution of the St. John's Community in Pilot Point, Texas, is narrated.

This was a mixed-method user-centered study regarding the University of North Texas's student-owned learner record and credentialing system. Through methods of quantitative and qualitative inquiry, student perceptions were unearthed and recommendations to improve the system were provided.

This study implemented a GIS-based analysis of local climate zones (LCZ) in Denton, TX with data sets from 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2016. The LCZ scheme enables evaluation of distinct regions' thermal characteristics with greater granularity than conventional urban-rural dichotomies. Further, the GIS-based approach to LCZ mapping allows use of high-resolution lidar data, the availability of which for the study area enabled estimation of geometric and surface cover parameters: height of roughness elements, sky-view factor, and building surface fraction. Pervious surface fraction was estimated from National Landcover Database impervious imagery. A regular grid was used to estimate per-cell mean values for each parameter, and with a decision-making algorithm (if/then statements) two maps were produced (2011 and 2015) and six LCZ identified in each: LCZ 6 (open low-rise), LCZ 8 (large low-rise), LCZ 9 (sparsely built), LCZ A (dense trees), LCZ B (scattered trees), and LCZ C (bush/scrub). Post-processing was carried out to ensure identified zones met the spatial minimum for qualification as LCZ. Landsat Collection 2 Level 2 surface temperature products from various seasons of 2011 and 2015 were acquired to examine LCZ thermal differentiability, and preliminary surface urban heat island intensity values were estimated. Particular attention was afforded to …

View of the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 steam engine after it's arrival in Denton, TX and onlooking crowd.

Photograph facing south on Interstate 35W from the Airport Road overpass. Includes the exit ramp for Bonnie Brea street in Denton, Texas.

Photograph of the view of Interstate 35W facing south from the Airport Road overpass in Denton, Texas. In the distance you can see Mean Green Village and the UNT sports complex.

Photograph of the interstate 35 split into Interstate 35 East and Interstate 35 West in Denton, Texas.

Photograph underneath the west side of an overpass on Interstate 35 just north of Sanger, Texas. The overpass is directly north of Belz road.

The City of Denton, located in a semi-arid region of Texas, has over 200 manmade ponds within its city limits. Many of these ponds, located in densely populated areas, are engineered to control storm water runoff. There is a general lack of recognition of the value these waters contribute to regional biodiversity and as greenspaces. This study, conducted in Denton, is monitoring habitat variables and macroinvertebrate diversity in a series of ponds selected to represent a gradient of urban influences. The objective of this study is to identify the variables associated with the highest diversity. Using drone imagery and a meter square box sampler, the quantitative approach allowed for delineation of three habitat types and area. The macroinvertebrates where identified to the genus level which allowed for higher resolution and resulted in stronger comparisons of the communities and conditions of the ponds. Taxa richness was positively correlated to pond size and trees along shoreline and negatively associated with average depth. Overall, submerged vegetation supported highest diversity and abundance, especially genera of Chironomidae (Diptera). Conductivity was associated with urban influences and the most urban influenced pond had the lowest taxa richness, but also reduced habitat area. Results of this study conclude …

Craft beer as a cultural phenomenon coincided with the revitalization of downtown Denton, Texas. Much of the existing literature on craft beer and its relation to place focuses on breweries rather than bars. This exploratory study aims to explain why people consume craft beer, what factors influenced its popularity in Denton despite little beer production, and to explore considerations for the promotion of Denton as a craft beer destination and making downtown an inclusive space. Data was collected through interviews, participant observation, and a survey. Findings indicated that craft beer consumption in Denton is largely related to perceptions of community, localism, and knowledge seeking. The ethos of the craft beer industry closely aligned with participants' perceptions of Denton as a city.

Graduate education can be psychologically taxing, and the academic tasks that graduate students are required to perform can cause a great level of stress, insecurity, and uncertainty. The unique experiences that female students of color face at the intersections of gender, race, and class may have negative effects on their academic performance and attainment. This research explored the experiences of discrimination among the female African American/Black and Hispanic/Latina graduate students and their coping strategies to survive in the program of study at the University of North Texas (UNT), as a minority serving institution (MSI). A narrative research method was applied and 13 in-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview protocol. The findings showed the participants experienced various types of intragroup and intergroup discrimination based on the intersections of their multiple identities, especially race, gender, and socioeconomic status. The findings of this study revealed structural discrimination that participants experienced through their education; starting with their low income neighborhood where they were raised and the discrimination at the university. They perceived that minorities are not represented in the management and faculty positions, and there is an inadequacy of support resources and lack of racially sensitive advising services for female graduate students …