Remembering Roy Nance - In-plant Impressions

By Bob Neubauer

Roy Nance

I just learned about the untimely passing of Roy Nance, the retired associate director of University of North Texas Printing and Distribution Solutions. I got to know Roy from his attendance of ACUP and IPMA conferences, where he made lots of friends over the years. He brought smiles and humor to any conversation, and I always looked forward to seeing him.

When PRINTING United Expo came to Dallas in 2019, he picked me up at the airport and drove me to Denton so I could visit UNT’s in-plant. And then he went even further by driving me to see Frisco Unified School District’s in-plant, where we toured that shop together. That was the last time I saw him.

Roy Nance

He retired around 2020, and I occasionally saw his antics on Facebook after that, usually smoking a cigar. We traded a few humorous chats in the ensuing years.

Roy died on July 31, five days after "an unexpected medical emergency," a relative posted on Facebook. Knowing that he’s not down there in Texas, enjoying life, makes me profoundly sad.

Kelly Hogg, director of Document Solutions at The University of Texas at Austin, summed it up well:

“I always looked forward to seeing Roy at conference and missed him when he retired. Not only was he knowledgeable about printing, but he had a sharp wit and sense of humor that always kept me laughing. Condolences to his family, friends, and all whoever had the chance to meet him, even if just for 10 minutes. You may not remember the content of those 10 minutes, but I'm certain you remember walking away thinking. ‘I can't wait to meet him again.’”

Roy Nance

Sherri Isbel, director of Printing and Mailing Services at the University of Oklahoma, remembers him fondly as well: “Roy was one of those people who made everyone he met feel welcome and valued. He was knowledgeable, so very funny, and always someone you enjoyed talking with. He was a genuinely good person, and I'm grateful to have known him and honored to have called him my friend.”

Roy was an excellent photographer, and he took as many photos as I did at conferences. I used some of them in my coverage of events. Here are just handful of his shots, taken at a long-ago ACUP conference. Thanks, Roy, for allowing us to share some time with you over the years.

Read Roy's obituary here.

Photos by Roy Nance

Credit: Roy Nance

Thanks Roy.

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Bob Neubauer Author's page

Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited 200 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.