Anatomy of a Role Model: A Life of Faith, Focus, and Grit

This is an invitation for you to take notes on a life well lived that may assist you in finding answers or pondering your thoughts that address some universal questions:

• Where do I find meaning and a sense of belonging?
• How do I stay the course when the odds are stacked against me?
• Which connections-of friendship, family, or faith-will steady me when the storm comes?

Why did I, Marilyn J. Koering's sister, Susan M. Koering, decide to publish her story now? Marilyn's journey as a woman in science needs to be told, for she continues to teach me-and her former students, colleagues, and friends-long after her passing on May 29, 2008. She was a role model, important in our world today. In an era that often pits belief against evidence, she proved that faith can sharpen reason rather than dull it. At a time when many feel powerless in the face of illness or social change, she modeled the courage to speak up, study harder, and love deeper.