In 2005, I visited the Paul V. Galvin Chapel on the lakeside campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The October day had been blustery and cold; inside, the chapel offered warm sanctuary as late afternoon light set fire to the red and gold stained-glass windows on either side of the altar. Sitting down in one of the simple oak pews, I asked for strength and inspiration to write a biography in which Virginia herself might take pride. On my way out, stopping to sign my name in the guest prayer book, I took added inspiration from the day's scriptural quote, which seemed to reflect the essence of Virginia's life:

Lord, hear the longing of the poor, listen to their every word, and give them heart.
-Psalms 10:17

Virginia G. Piper's journey from self to selflessness is one of the principal themes of this biography. So are the ideas that philanthropy, the love of humankind, is best learned by example and that those who hold us in the light of our highest potential are those who most truly love us.

During the many interviews conducted for this book, the people with whom I communicated universally espoused the same sentiment,we need more people like Virginia in this world.

If this biography inspires even one young woman standing on the threshold of adulthood to strive for grace and excellence of character, to succeed beyond the world's milder and more ordinary expectations, to become "more like Virginia," then my book will have succeeded far beyond its prescribed scope.

My hope is that each of you who read Virginia's life story will move beyond an initial and appropriate admiration for a woman of enormous substance and style into a richer and far more profound appreciation of her philanthropic vision and its source, beginning with her "yes" to Paul Galvin in 1945 and ending, ultimately, with her "yes" to God.