Inspired by the family closeness of your own upbringing, you leapt at the chance, after Williams, law school, and private practice, to serve in Juvenile Court instead of waiting for what many counseled would be a more prestigious judgeship. You certainly have never looked back. As Presiding Judge of the Denver Juvenile Court you have worked creatively to improve the lives of countless children under duress. Among the many ways that you have hastened the delivery of justice has been through pioneering the system by which charges against parents for both drug and neglect violations can be heard jointly. Your reputation for intelligence, compassion, and fairness has led to appointment as a member of the Colorado Supreme Court’s Family Issues Committee, the Standing Committee for Family Issues, and the Legislative Task Force on the Mentally Ill in the Criminal Justice System. And, having made Denver’s Juvenile Court a model for the nation, you were appointed to the Board of Trustees of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and been honored with the American Association of University Women’s Trailblazer Award. All this reinforces the belief, as you have said, that “the decisions we make in Juvenile Court are the most important that judges can make because they shape the lives of young people.” In recognition of your distinguished achievement in family law, Williams College is proud to honor you with its Bicentennial Medal.