Few tragedies in this or any community have generated a greater response to show the power of the human spirit than the one we memorialize here today. I personally regret not being able to attend as I will still be on assignment in Puerto Rico. However, whoever reads these words will know that my...

  I recall vividly my first image of Pia - smiling, happy and beautiful when she, Enrico and little Claudio arrived at Willard airport in Champaign twenty years ago. That image remains crystal clear in my mind today and yet it shows the very same Pia I saw so recently - a Pia who, in some...

Dear Enrico, When you said "To be in Pia's presence was to be happy", you spoke truly. She possessed the rare quality of being able to light up a room with her presence. Her warmth, beauty, and high intelligence made it a pleasure for everyone to be with her. One of my favorite memories is of a...

  It’s hardly been a month since the day my dad called me and told me my mom had been murdered. Since the day, every moment, awake or sleeping, has been filled with her presence. She was the single-most powerful inspiration of my life. Now it’s ironic that I am addressing a room full of...

Dear Pia, my love: I had a very special relationship with you, a relationship in which I had the strongest desire to see you, to feel the touch of your hand, to enjoy your presence during every minute of my life. I felt the need for your physical presence everywhere I went, at home, at parties,...

Pia’s death has moved me to think hard about my life, her life and what she gave to me to make me the person I am today. After all this is a memorial to Pia -- we are all here to remember who she was and to share our thoughts, stories and reflect on how she has touched each of our lives. The many...

I will never forget the day in July of 1988, when a petite, attractive woman stood at my door here in Noyes Lab and told me she had heard we were looking for a VAX programmer. She looked like no computer programmer I had ever met, but she turned out to be one of the best, and it wasn't long before...

For Catholics in Europe, the eve of December 6th has a special meaning. It is the time that Saint Nikolaus and his companion Squire Ruprecht visit every home with their book of merits. On the right side are written a person's good deeds--and St. Nikolaus rewards those good acts with praise and...

Pia’s death has moved me to think hard about my life, her life and what she gave to me to make me the person I am today. After all this is a memorial to Pia -- we are all here to remember who she was and to share our thoughts, stories and reflect on how she has touched each of our lives. The many...