Gracious lady, prize-winning author, native of Dallas but citizen of the world, she has in four published books vividly presented the human side of history around the French court in the seventeenth though the nineteenth centuries. Her books, internationally translated and acclaimed, have been notable for their graceful prose style, their thorough scholarship, their sharp insights into human character and behavior, their colorful narration, and their ability to illuminate a whole social order. Not content to rest on her achievement, she is under contract for a program of future writing that will keep her engaged for years to come. In recognition of her contributions to readable history and her lucent example of how an educated mind can render life meaningful for others and for itself, SMU is proud this day to confer upon her the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa.