Dr. Elizabeth E. Gunter moved on from our world on November 6, 2024 in Denton, Texas, after a long illness. Elizabeth, or Liz, as most friends and family knew her by, was born on March 10, 1942 in Manhattan, New York. Her family later moved, finally settling down in Savannah, Georgia. She attended St. Vincent's Academy there, graduating with honors, and then attended college at Mount St. Agnes College in Baltimore, Maryland, on full scholarship, where she ranked first in her class and received a B.A. in French in 1963. Elizabeth then studied at the University of Florida in Gainesville and, in 1969, earned her first doctorate, in Romance Languages, focusing on French, the Golden Age of French Theatre, and, in particular, on Jean de Rotrou's comedies, and that year became Assistant Professor of French at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Also, in 1969, Elizabeth met her future husband, Pete Gunter, who at that time also taught at the University of Tennessee in Philosophy. Their first date took place at a Duke Ellington concert in Knoxville. They married soon after and then moved to Denton, Texas in 1970. Elizabeth then taught French for six years at Mountain View College in Dallas, being involved in the founding of faculty organizations and serving as president in 1970 of the school's College Faculty Association, as Pete began teaching Philosophy at the University of North Texas in Denton. In 1974, their daughter, Sheila, was born. Elizabeth, Pete and Sheila would share a strong family bond.

At this time, Elizabeth and Pete became members of a surprisingly small but very determined group of conservationists who worked tirelessly for the creation of the Big Thicket Natural Preserve in Southeast Texas, which, in 1974, was created by Congress, one of the very first national preserves in the United States. Elizabeth and Pete were both adamant about the importance of adding new land to the Thicket, not only to conserve what has been saved, helping to establish the Big Thicket Natural Heritage Trust to acquire land in the Thicket through donations or by purchasing it.

In 1981, Elizabeth and Dr. Bullitt Lowry, her colleague at U.N.T., published The Red Virgin: Memoirs of Louise Michel, in English translation. Elizabeth also continued to write articles, on Michel and the Paris Commune, Corneille's Othon (The French Review), André Gide, Henry Reed, the Big Thicket, and reviews in The Texas Observer, The Dallas Morning News, Denton Record Chronicle and Texas Books in Review.

In 1985, Elizabeth received her second doctorate, in English, at U.N.T., her dissertation focusing on Walker Percy's novels. During this time, she taught in the English Department, worked in the Center for Texas Studies, becoming its director in 1994, edited Texas Books in Review (1987-1996), Focus on Texas (1986-90), managed the American Literary Review (1990-94) and American Periodicals (1991-1996), was Associate Director of the U.N.T. Press (1987-89) and was founding president of the Historical Society of Denton County (1998).

Elizabeth was also an active member, with her daughter, Sheila, of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Denton. She delighted in participating in the church's fellowship, its support of local charities, its insistence on intellectual traditions and its incorporation of great music.

Elizabeth adored the opera, piano concerts, the Russian ballet, as well as French chanson singers, and also folk and rock music. She enjoyed giving elaborate dinner parties which brought friends together to enjoy her great cooking and each other's company. She also opened her home to aid music students from U.N.T., in particular, piano students of Dr. Vladimir Viardo, who studied alongside her daughter Sheila. Elizabeth also loved to travel. Her daughter, the writer of this remembrance, recalls how, when Elizabeth and she were in Paris while Pete was in Lille, and they had quickly run out of money, her mother prayed and then, when francs started to pour out of the outdoor teller machine, she exclaimed "Grâce à Dieu!" while amused people walked by. Also memorable were the later performances we attended together with my father of Leontyne Price, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Luciano Pavarotti; taking Russian together with her at U.N.T., attending, with her and my father, a ballet performance at the Bolshoi Theatre in 2005, the last performance there before its reconstruction.  Very memorable was Elizabeth's magnificent expertise in French and her utilization of it when "urging" a computer to work, as she felt strongly that it knew English, and would retaliate; her love for all cats big and small, shelties, and thoroughbred horses. In 1973, she had to suppress her extreme excitement during a Big Thicket business party where politicians who loved football were present, when Secretariat won the Belmont by thirty-one lengths.

In her latter years, Elizabeth had several health conditions and lived first at the Denton Rehabilitation Center and then at the Cottonwood Nursing Center. The kindness, medical care and friendships with the staff and residents at both places made her last years comfortable, enjoyable and dignified. Elizabeth and her family were, and remain, so grateful for their care.

Earlier this March, Elizabeth's beloved husband, Pete, moved on, after a brief worsening of a long, but, up until January, manageable illness. Now Elizabeth and Pete are undoubtedly reunited up Above, elated to be together, singing folk or classical songs, and, very possibly, happily arguing about the History of Ideas, or just how badly humans on Earth can derail the best of intentions, including elections.

What was always so singular about Elizabeth, was her subtle perception of what lies beneath what we believe we see and what is really, genuinely present in someone or something. This, coupled with her infectious sense of humor, love of people and indefatigable intellect, will be remembered by her many friends, students and family, whose lives were touched and enlivened by her.

Elizabeth is survived by her daughter, Sheila, of Denton, her brother, John Ellington, his wife Patsy, their daughter, Michelle, her husband Aaron, and their two daughters, Mariah and Natalie, all residing in Michigan. The graveside service will be held on Wednesday, December 11th at 2:30 p.m. at Roselawn Memorial Park in Denton. A Celebration of Elizabeth's life will take place at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church on Saturday, January 18th at 3:00 p.m. in Denton and will be live-streamed on the church's Facebook website at: facebook.com/stbdenton for anyone who might not be able to attend in person. In lieu of Flowers, the family would greatly appreciate donations to the Big Thicket Natural Heritage Trust, which focuses on the acquisition of new land for the expansion of the Big Thicket Preserve, at https://bigthickettrust.org/