The pioneering spirit and scientific legacy of astronomer Nancy Grace Roman '46 H'76, who died in December, is being memorialized across the globe, including on TODAY 's "A Life Well Lived" segment (below). Roman was one of the first female executives at NASA and was critical in the development of the Hubble telescope.

"As my career shows, the greatest gift I received from Swarthmore was the ability and eagerness to learn new things," says Roman in The Meaning of Swarthmore. "The College gave me a good background in the fundamentals of my field that permitted me to understand problems, techniques, and instruments well outside my research experience. I am the only person I know who did not have any English courses in college, but writing seminar papers was a great learning experience. I think my biggest asset in my NASA job was the ability to speak and write easily and well."

Read more about her incredible life and legacy in National Geographic, National Public Radio, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.