Shona and I were hired the same year at UMKC. It was a relief to find someone as irreverent as I am in the history department, and given her sense of humour, it was no surprise to find out that she had family from the UK. I was lucky to go to a conference with her in Colorado and she took me on a tour of where she used to live. What a great tour guide she was. We both had an interest in the black death, me as a medical historian and Shona as a Italian mediaevalist. We had some good conversations on it and I learnt a lot from her about family history. Then there was her naughty laugh that others have mentioned -- she was a good mimic too. Miss you Shona for many reasons, Lynda