Catherine Royce led an active life: she was a dancer, theater manager and deputy arts commissioner for the city of Boston. But in 2003, she was diagnosed in ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Even as the illness took a toll on her body, Catherine continued to write using a microphone and voice recognition software – and that’s how she composed her essay for This I Believe in 2006. Catherine died on March 30, a date she selected by choice. We offer this tribute to Catherine from her neighbor, NPR science reporter Richard Knox. You can also read Catherine’s This I Believe essay.