vi
permission to thank my dog Charley in these acknowledgments, and for her friendship
and emotional support during the past year.
Finally, I wish to thank my family for instilling in me the importance of education
and helping to foster a love of learning and respect and gratitude for my teachers. I am
grateful to my sister-in-law Dr. Nora A. Lewis for her interest in my project, for
answering all of my technical questions relating to the preparation of this document, and
for being such a wonderful role model, friend, and colleague. Thank you to my brother
Gordon for his love and encouragement during the times when I struggled to balance the
challenges of being a full time professor and student. Thank you to my father for his calm
advice throughout this entire process, and for not reminding me too often that it took him
only 2 ½ years to complete his PhD! Lastly, and most importantly, I wish to thank my
mother both for her meticulous proofreading and for being my “on call” personal
reference librarian and support system. I look forward to going to Ghost Ranch with you
soon!
Kate Lewis
Normal, IL
February 18, 2010