When I joined the faculty in in 1990, Sharon was one of the first people to welcome me to the department. When she came to my assigned office to say hello, I was nervous and more than a little intimidated. After all, this was one of the field's superstars. But Sharon was friendly, warm and genuine. Over the years, I continued to be impressed by her calm, reasoned approach to solving complex problems -- whether it was in the research realm or department policy making. She was a role model of the ideal academic citizen.