About Pia

Maria Pia Innocenzi was born in Grottaferrata (Italy) on July 2, 1948. She graduated cum laude in 1975 in Mathematics at the University of Rome (Italy) with a thesis in Astronomy. She married Enrico Gratton and had three children, Claudio (1970), Fabio (1972) and Valentina (1985).

In 1978 Pia and her family moved to Urbana-Champaign where they have lived ever since. While in the US, Pia continued her education to become a computer programmer. She worked as a programmer at the Colwell Company from 1980 to 1986 and then as system's administrator and research programmer in the Chemistry Department of the University of Illinois from 1987 up to October 31st, 1995 when she was murdered by a man obsessed with her magical charm and beauty.

She will be remembered forever.