I hadn’t realized Anna Pearl Rains had passed away. I read it today in a tribute the SON’s John Bernstein penned for the Galveston County Daily News. If you never met her, you missed someone special. Ms. Rains spent about half a century championing nursing and inspiring those around her to always strive to be better, to do more, to never settle for “good enough.” I met her late in her career. Rather than slow down, she’d taken up a scooter to help her get around our large campus. She used her experience as a chair-bound employee to champion for accessibility. And she did it with a passion and intensity that rallied others to the cause. She served admirably and selflessly throughout her career, and we owe her a debt for her many contributions at UTMB. Anna Pearl, you were a no-nonsense lady with a big heart and brains to match. I’ll keep your memory alive, your wide smile alive in my mind.