Peg spent most of her working life at the University of Pittsburgh, and she did so because she wanted to be in an environment where she could make a difference. She felt that it was important to make a contribution to people's lives, and the university gave her the opportunity to do that. We were fortunate that she chose to join the School of Information Sciences, where she did indeed make a difference, in the lives of our faculty, staff and perhaps most importantly in the lives of our students.

To the faculty and staff who worked with her, she was the consummate professional: reliable, hard-working, and totally discreet. She was a private person, and not given to complaint. But she was also a friend, a valued member of our community. She could share a joke with us, or comment wryly on human foibles. She could also make it clear that she had high expectations of us, and let us know with just a look when we were not living up to her standards.

She worked magic on all of us to make us better than we were. She would say, "now, we have to get this done today", or "I have to have this form completed" and things would get done and deadlines would be met. We all, I think, looked a little better, a little more efficient and reliable than we are, because Peg took care to make us appear so. In her interaction with students, she managed also to give us a kinder and more human face.

Peg was a magician in other ways. Nobody could negotiate the university bureaucracy with such style and charm. She was our miracle worker; she got things done, even when we had all agreed it was impossible. I remember her on the telephone, convincing the movers to come on a certain day, charming this or that official to bend this regulation or extend that deadline. With Peg in charge, things happened, and like true sleight of hand, it all appeared easy, even when there was dedication and hard work behind it.

I remember Peg in many ways only vaguely related to her job description. She was wonderful with children: I remember them visiting the office and being given an important "job" to keep them busy so that what might have been a disruption became a pleasure. I remember Peg fixing a set of shelves or a recalcitrant machine with a hammer and screwdriver. She did wonders with a good thump, too. I remember Peg striding off at lunchtime in her sneakers for her daily walk, and coming back from the shops to show us the gifts she had bought for her family. I remember the pleasure and delight she took in planning her mother's birthday surprise on her visit to Disney World, and in sharing the plotting and planning with us. I remember her Mickey Mouse computer pad, and the mementos of family holidays in her office -- all part of the joy she found in life.

I've been very touched, and I know Peg's family have been too, by the messages and comments that have arrived from our graduates, particularly our doctoral students, with whom Peg worked closely. The messages have come from around the world: "She searched all over the building to find me when my daughter was ill"; "she was so helpful when my hand was in a cast"; "she comforted me when I failed and celebrated with me when I succeeded." Peg reassured them when they had doubts, calmed them when they were nervous, and celebrated with them when they were successful. The first act of many of our doctoral students on successfully defending their dissertation was to rush down to Peg's office to share their triumph with her.

I know that, as the weeks pass, we will continue to discover the ways in which Peg worked her quiet magic for us. Peg Corbett was a very special person, and she will be missed by all of us. In the words of the Irish story, "She had a way of her own, and she had it entirely."

A memorial fund has been established to support the Margaret Mary Corbett Award, for the best doctoral dissertation proposal in a given year. Contributions, payable to the University of Pittsburgh, may be sent to Rachel Callison, Assistant to the Chair, Department of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.