She spent most of her career as a professor of classic texts in the College of the University of Chicago.Her scholarly interests included courtship, marriage, citizenship and philanthropy.
Her books include Giving Well, Doing Good: Readings for Thoughtful Philanthropists, Wing to Wing, Oar to Oar: Readings on Courting and Marrying, and What So Proudly We Hail: America’s Soul in Story, Speech, and Song.