MARGARET IRBY NICHOLS

July 9, 1924 – June 6, 2017

A loving mother, passionate educator, and beautiful human being, Margaret Irby Nichols, aged 92, died June 6, 2017 in Denton, Texas following a brief illness.

Margaret Sunshine Irby, the only child of James Rainwater Irby and India Leigh (Winnie) Pride, was born July 9, 1924 in Maud, Texas. Her devoted family valued education and public service and encouraged her to be independent and open minded. After graduating from Maud High School in 1941, Margaret received her bachelor's degree in library science from North Texas State Teachers College and her master's in library science from The University of Texas at Austin.

Working throughout Texas in the mid-to-late 1940s, Margaret helped to establish many small town public libraries. Along the way she attracted the attention of numerous suitors and received no less than six marriage proposals. One of those men even tried to woo Margaret by taking her on airborne dates in his crop duster. Spurning those advances, she moved on to work at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell where she met her future husband, Irby Coghill Nichols, Jr.

Margaret married Irby in 1953 and relocated to Denton two years later so Irby could take up a position as a professor of history at North Texas State College. Margaret worked in NTSC's library for several years before stepping in to teach a group of gifted students at Selwyn School in 1963. After a brief but impactful tenure there, she returned to North Texas in 1968 as a professor in what became the School of Library and Information Science (now part of the University of North Texas College of Information.)

During her 41 years as a distinguished faculty member, Margaret acted as mentor and friend to thousands of information professionals who subsequently endowed the Margaret Irby Nichols Scholarship. Her influence as an educator was not limited to teaching as she conducted more than 400 workshops throughout the country and published six books and numerous articles on reference and information services. She held many leadership offices within the Texas Library Association (TLA) and the American Library Association, serving a term as TLA's president from 1984-85.

Among her many honors, Margaret received the TLA Distinguished Service Award (1990), UNT's Distinguished Teaching Award (1991 and 1993), the Distinguished Service to the University Award (1996), the Texas Library Champion designation at the TLA Centennial (2002), and the UNT Outstanding Alumna Service Award (2011). Even in retirement Margaret continued to edit the award-winning College of Information alumni magazine, Call Number , and served as a mentor to each subsequent TLA president during their term of office.

Margaret is survived by her children Nina Nichols Austin of Denton, Texas and Fr. Irby C. Nichols III of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well as her grandson, Spencer McFarlin Austin of Northport, New York. They would like to extend a special thanks to Monteasiea Johnson, who joined their family over the last three years and provided Margaret with the greatest comfort, care, and support imaginable.

A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, June 14 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Denton. Honorary pallbearers are to include John Austin, Dewey Christian, Stephen Pugh, William Shull, James Stewart, and Alan Stucky. The eulogy will be presented by Dr. Herman Totten.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Margaret Irby Nichols Scholarship at the University of North Texas.