As this edition of Programs and People went to press, millions of families throughout the United States gathered for Thanksgiving to express gratitude for the daily gifts of life in America and for the gift of each other. In keeping with this spirit, family, in all its forms, is the theme that threads its way through this issue. Dean Branen begins by expressing gratitude for the thousands of individuals who have helped guide the college for the past 100 years as members of its family of councils and advisory boards. The center feature introduces a new certificate blending early childhood education and special education to serve families with special-needs children. Also in this issue, Marlene Fritz writes about a program to strengthen marriages and another that brings computer hardware and software into the lives of some of Idaho’s youngest family members. Volunteers, the hardworking, selfless individuals who maintain many services to Idaho families, are also highlighted. Writers Diane Noel and Phil Medlin both focus on maintaining healthy family members in stories on dining healthy with diabetes and feeding our tiniest eaters. Bill Loftus brings us news of new science that has the potential to directly and positively impact the lives of millions of families.

Our focus on family is both a celebration of the holidays and a grateful agknowledgement of the work done by the college’s Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences which observed its centennial this past year. In honor of their tremendous contributions to countless Idaho families, our alumni feature is dedicated to every student ever graduating from the school. As 2002 comes to a close, we offer a toast to all Idaho families, to the college’s extended family, and, particularly to the thousands of graduates of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences, a distinguished member of the University of Idaho family for the past 100 years.

Jean Henscheid