Erika G. Hernquist ’91

Erika G. Hernquist died June 28, 2003, after battling brain cancer for 21 months. An amazing blend of wit, intelligence, sensitivity, and strength, Erika grew up in Grosse Pointe, Mich.

At Princeton, she earned an AB in mathematics, studied art history and French, and competed on the women's rugby team. Friends recall her "vivacious dancing" that belied her mild-mannered-student exterior.

After graduation, Erika worked for 10 years with the National Security Agency and earned a master's in electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins. A good athlete, she completed the Detroit Free Press Marathon in '91 and, outside work, enjoyed being a museum docent, manning a domestic-violence hotline, mountain hiking, whitewater rafting, and skydiving.

In 2000, Erika joined In-Q-Tel in Virginia, but soon signed up to work with CRI in San Francisco as a crypto logical mathematician. Twelve days after arriving in San Francisco, she suffered a massive seizure caused by a brain tumor.

Erika is survived by her loving parents, Lois Ann and Richard Hernquist '63, her brother, David, and her grandparents. Those of us who knew Erika will proudly carry on her memory and the good times we shared with her. We will miss Erika greatly.

The Class of 1991