I was deeply saddened and shocked to hear of Veronica's recent passing. Veronica gave me my first undergraduate experience of research during the summer of 2004 at TIFR. I wish I had the opportunity to get to know her better, but to this day I am guided in my work by her intellectual clarity in developing research questions and her rigorous assessment of data and interpretations. I have seen few mentors as dedicated and self-sacrificing as Veronica. She was an inspirational figure and will be missed in many places.