Rachel Carson, a 1929 alumna of the Pennsylvania College for Women, now known as Chatham College, died at the age of 56 from breast cancer. Her death came just two years after publishing her seminal book detailing the impact of toxic chemicals on the earth. Carson wrote with the eloquence of a poet, the logic of a scientist and the insight of a naturalist. In her ground breaking book Silent Spring, she described how the new pesticides were ravaging the biological systems they were sprayed upon, while creating vibrant images of living systems in order to do so.
 
After years of methodical research and painstaking documentation of the impact of toxic chemicals, her work was widely denounced by public officials, scholars, and the corporate scientists that were deployed to discredit her. Yet, while she did not live to see the legacy of her work, Silent Spring ultimately led to the banning of DDT, the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and to US regulation like the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts.
 
Seldom does a book stir such emotion, spark controversy or inspire new social movements, but Silent Spring was no ordinary book. It encouraged individuals around the US and across the world to lead their communities toward environmental responsibility. Carson galvanized public consciousness, became a model of courage and tenacity in the face of wide skepticism and fostered the groundswell of public outrage and mobilization that led to the modern day environmental movement.  Even today Carson continues to serve as a role model in the sciences, advocacy, and environmental fields worldwide.

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