'Like Flint to a Stone' 

Pia......Like a butterfly to your Cheek

A crowd upon an esplanade

A shock of blond adrift

My smile expanding as she closens

An upliftment of spirit is her gift

Pia.......Like a tornado in the plain

A whirlwind of passion

An unstoppable freight train of heart

No opinion left unshared

Yet no weaker soul left apart

Pia.......Like a snow day in spring

A giggle on her face

A mischievous plan afoot

She pulls you in to whisper

Our maturity is kaput

Pia......Like a mother's comforting smile

A journey interrupted

Some things left unsaid

A feeling of despair

Conflicts in my head

Pia......Like a morning mist dispersed

A shout to the sky

A wail to the gods

Give us back our darling

One more day? for our thoughts

Pia.......Like flint to a stone

A being of stark beauty

A flash of booming light

A reawakening in the morning

After a farewell goodnight

Pia.......Like Pia......Like Pia

Helen Engelke.  May 3rd, 2011

When going to Italy, Pia would bring a suitcase full of gifts for extended family.  When questioned, “Couldn’t the gifts be just for immediate family?”, she replied, “These ARE my immediate family!”. She truly had her feet in two cultures. She was a woman who took the best qualities of each, and through this syncretism, made the world a better place.  Her laugh, her smile, and her ability to illustrate a story with her hands will never be forgotten.

She was a stylish dresser and enjoyed beautiful clothes.  Well travelled, she frequently visited family in Italy along with trips throughout Europe and the United States.  She loved the sea, art, good movies, and her long-time passion for music, including her regular attendance at live concert performances at the Claremont Colleges, church, and Los Angeles Philharmonic with Tom and friends.

Pia truly loved her students and called them her ‘kids’.  She would often support student groups by purchasing baked goods and then would give the food to her husband’s and her own student groups.  Again, she shared her love through food.

She also loved her colleagues at Western University. She frequently invited them over for parties, celebrations, and meals.  Pia loved to entertain and spread joy and laughter in her home.

Pia Phillips received her doctorate degree in 1983 from the University of Napoli-Portici and taught in Italy prior to coming to California in 1985.  Since 1985, she continued her research and teaching career at UC Riverside, UCLA, the Burnham Institute, the Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego, and since 2003 at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences.  She held positions of Lead Scientist and Assistant Professor at the University.  Professor Phillips had many publications and was highly regarded as a teacher and scientist.  Her research focus included the binding properties of RNA using NMR as well as Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, and HIV-AIDS, primarily concentrating on oxidative stress and apoptosis. 

Married to fellow Western University Professor Dr. Tom Phillips, Pia and Tom spent virtually every moment together.  Their love was palpable and they spent every day trying to make each other happy.    Friends often remarked, “It is clear to us that you two shared a love that not many people ever find.”  Besides her loving relationship with husband Tom, she also spoiled her biological son Stefano and stepsons Nicholas and Nathan Phillips equally.

Anyone who met Pia knew instantly that she was loving, kind, intelligent, passionate, stylish, funny, joyful, giving, and caring.  She had a zest for life and showered love on all she met.  When she moved through a crowd of people, she often left a trail of smiles and laugher.  Pia made people feel happier and more alive.   A friend said of Pia, “She was so bright, and sunny, and funny and cheerful, and surely touched everyone whom she met.” There are some people we can never imagine being old, and Pia is one of them. Pia had a youthful appearance and we will always remember her looking twenty years younger than her chronological age.

Pia was a consummate cook and often showed her love for family and friends through cooking and gave generously to anyone in need.  When she saw a homeless person, she would often buy an extra meal and give it to them.  She bought children’s books and gave them to families without funds to buy books.

In 1981, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ Director Moustapha Akkad came to Latina, Italy to film the ‘Lion of the Desert’, starring Anthony Quinn. Pia, then 23, and her sisters Sandra and Renata, were cast as extras in the town square scene. This was where Quinn, in the role of Bedouin Leader Omar Mukhtar, is being led off in chains. 

In this shot from the film, Pia is walking arm-in-arm with a man through the square, wearing a striped dress and white hat.  She has to step around Quinn in the scene.  Already thin, Pia didn’t like the fact that the vertical stripes made her look even thinner!

The film was initially banned in Italy, as it portrayed the Italians in a bad light.

Oldest of four sisters, Pia was born on May 14, 1957 in Latina, Italy, the child of Tarquinio Rolando Testa and Giuseppina Piccinato Testa.  Pia grew up in Italy with her three sisters, Sandra Testa, Renata Testa, and Patrizia Testa. 

Growing up in Central Italy, Pia was recognized as a bright girl, achieving high marks and performing as an excellent student.  She expressed interest in a musical career, with early instruction from her orchestra conductor Zio (uncle) Lino.  Pia’s father insisted that she focus on other her studies, but she never lost her love of music and recently started piano lessons.  She enjoyed going to the beach and playing sports.  Taking a break from studying, Pia would frequently get on her ‘motorino’ to go to the beach before returning to her studies. 

She and her sister Sandra were members of the first women’s basketball team in Latina, Italy where their team picture still hangs in the city museum. In the back row in the picture above, Sandra is the first player on the left and Pia is next to her.