Paula and I were born a week apart. We met in the first grade of elementary school in Iowa City. Over the ensuing years we sang in the same chorus, took many courses together, including her mother’s Spanish class, and by the time we finished high school we had even tried dating, but more than anything, we had become close friends. Later we traveled around Europe together for nearly six months with her father who was also one of my Spanish professors at the University of Iowa. After Paula moved to France and later Switzerland, we saw each other infrequently, but remained close friends and often spoke on the telephone. We could talk about anything and everything, from world politics and the value of the Swiss franc against the dollar to when was the last time we had filed our finger nails. The last couple of times we spoke we talked about getting old. She told me she was content with her life and felt she had realized most of the things the had wanted. She was funny, charming, at times acerbic but also courteous, thoughtful and kind. Ours was the longest-lasting friendship of my life, and her passing has left me with a tremendous void. Jorge joins me in extending our sincere sympathy and heart-felt condolences to her family and friends at this time of grief.