My aspirations for her helped shape my dreams for myself. — By Mary Daily I couldn’t believe my parents let me get the original Barbie in 1959, the one with the blonde ponytail, who wore a stretch, strapless, striped swimsuit and sexy shoes. Even her blue sunglasses were modern and cool. I was over the moon. I lived in small-town Alabama…

For more than 35 years, Dr. Gary Parker has lived and worked aboard a Mercy Ship, transforming the lives of the world’s poorest disfigured people — and proving the raw power of selflessness. By Mary Daily | March 21, 2023 Gary Parker D.D.S. ’77 earned a B.S. at UC Davis…

If my porch wren will do anything to protect her young, why won’t we? By Mary Daily A porch wren built a nest at the top of the wreath on my front door. The perfect circle of grass and bits of paper and feathers is nestled between the wreath and…

If my porch wren will go to any length to protect her young, why won’t we?

For decades, I thought I had found the perfect place for me. By Mary Daily In 1973, my new husband and I drove across the country and settled in Santa Monica, California. I had never been west of Denver and didn’t know what to expect. I had sent resumes ahead…

The contents of the old silverware tray told the story of a family. By Mary Daily From my earliest memory, my mother, who was an accomplished seamstress, kept spare buttons in a wooden silverware tray with blue flowers painted on the outside. I see now that was an excellent choice…

Hearing just a few seconds of Appalachian ballads took me back 60 years. By Mary Daily When I picked up my dry cleaning today in Los Angeles, the soundtrack inside the cleaners trilled out bluegrass ballads of Appalachia. Suddenly, on this ordinary Monday afternoon when I’m old enough to get…

By Mary Daily Twenty years ago, I wrote this glowing account of my love affair with Los Angeles, a happiness I hadn’t expected. I meant every word, but things aren’t like that now. Turns out maybe we weren’t meant to grow old together. The city has taken up with a…

Get started FEATURES FORWARD THINKER UCLA 100 QUICK TAKES CHANGE AGENT Responses What are your thoughts? Cancel Respond There are currently no responses for this story. Be the first to respond. The Human Animal Sep 24, 2019 · 5 min read By Mary Daily Professor of Medicine Barbara Natterson-Horowitz studies animals to make better sense of humans. One thing she knows for sure: Adolescence is dangerous for both.