I was so sad yesterday when my husband let me know that Sargent Shriver had passed away. Shriver has been one of my

Sargent Shriver, from SargentShriver.org

personal heroes, representing to me boundless energy, open mindedness, and voracious intellectual curiosity.

In addition to his creativity in leadership, and his passion for his varied work (which varied greatly — from working in the Navy to managing buildings to heading up exciting government agencies), Sarge impressed me because of his ability to combine public service with family life.

He and his wife Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver maintained a robust family life while creating innovative programs that have made a lasting impact here and abroad. As the mother of two little kids (and the grandchild of a dyed-in-the-wool public servant), I’m learning to juggle family, service, work, and life, and I have been deeply moved and inspired by the example of the Shrivers and want to pass that example onto my children.

Here are the thoughts of Pete Hessler, a writer who was another Peace Corps Volunteer in China, about his impressions of Sarge, printed on The New Yorker site.

And to the Shriver family, I’m so sorry.