Twyla Sarfaty Alvarez ’86

Twyla died June 10, 2008, after an extended illness.  

She came to Princeton from Oklahoma City, was a member of Colonial Club, and majored in psychology, discovering the joys and pitfalls of research in Professor Bart Hoebel’s lab. Hoebel also talked her into presiding over the Princeton Hot Air Balloon Club.  

Twyla went on to do neuroscience research at UC, San Diego. There she met Pablo Alvarez, with whom she shared a birthday and a love of science fiction and fantasy, cats, travel, and reading. They married in 1993 and later moved to Brookline, Mass., where she redirected her research skills into law enforcement. She was a crime analyst for local police departments and later an investigative analyst for the Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts.  

She was an executive board member of the Massachusetts Association of Crime Analysts and active in the International Association of Crime Analysts. She traveled nationally and internationally, teaching intelligence analysis to law-enforcement personnel.

Twyla is remembered for her thoughtfulness and concern for others, her spontaneity, sense of humor, love of life, dogged determination (“Who says I can’t get into Princeton?”), and devotion to family and friends.

She is survived by Pablo and their children, Daniel and Gabriel.