'She had a tongue-in-cheek attitude about her success in securing grants. [One colleague] recalls how she often wore buttons on her clothes - such as one that read, "Girls just like to have funds."

Denton's ability to decouple from her career won her the admiration of her friends.

"She would travel a lot and go to meetings, and then she'd call me and tell me that she was calling from a beach or a hot tub. When she was here, she would always be the first one to round up people to go to the Terrace on Friday and just hang out. She didn't always have an agenda," says [a second colleague].

Ultimately, Denton's colleagues agree that her favorite song best captured her intense integrity and drive to champion people who needed support.

"In the CD player in her car, she always played this country western music," laughs [a friend]. "Her favorite song, the one she played at her tenure party was [Garth Brooks'] 'I Got Friends in Low Places.'"

"It was her theme song [...] She wasn't too proud for anybody."'