It was hard not to notice Ginger Risco. Her designer clothes, bright
red hair--the source of her life-long nickname--and slim, athletic,
5'6" frame made her a woman to take notice of.

But her intellect and no-nonsense attitude were as punchy as her
image. Risco, 48, could work the latest Prada suit but she could
also work the stock market.

"She fought her way through a very male-dominated world," said
Bill Nelson, Risco's husband of nine-and-a-half years. A hunger
for knowledge pushed her to hold down three jobs while taking
classes at numerous schools in New York, stopping at Hunter and
Brooklyn Colleges before finding her home at Columbia.

Working in the male-dominated field of finance, "Ginger truly led
the way for women to follow," wrote Fred M. Alger, president of Fred
Alger Management, the investment management firm where Risco
worked, in a letter to Nelson. "She was the best our firm had to
offer, the best on Wall Street."

Quickly working her way up from a secretary to senior vice
president, Risco, whose real name was Theresa, had no qualms
about letting her clients and coworkers know where she stood on
issues and how she wanted things done. In 1992, to the chagrin of
many of her Wall Street co-workers, Risco proudly wore her "I'm for
Hillary's husband" button on her designer suits.

"She had a real no-nonsense approach," said Risco's brother,
John Caggiano, "and she did not hesitate to let you know that was
her style."

From finance to fashion to fitness, Risco put her all into everything
she did. In the 70's she was "the original flower child," Caggiano
recalls, hanging out with the Grateful Dead in
Haight-Asbury.

She also had a commitment to staying fit that surprised even her
own family. It was on a bike tour in California where Risco and
Nelson first met each other, when Nelson's friend invited het to
ride with them.

"I thought, ëWe don't want some woman slowing us down,'"
Nelson recalls, "but of course, she trashed us all."

In the early 90's, Risco ran the New York Marathon, completing the
course and walking home before her family thought to leave the
house to meet her at the finish line.

But it was Risco's love of learning that Nelson, a professor, found
most intriguing in his wife. Teaching Risco something new wasn't
an easy task, as every answer someone gave to her was followed
by another question.

"She never just accepted something, she was constantly probing
for more information. She always felt she had to know everything,"
Nelson said. "She had great admiration for thinkers."

Despite the many hobbies and passions that Risco devoted her
time to, her greatest devotion was to her family. Christmas was
her holiday--the family would meet at her house, where she would
cook, organize activities and even make lists of the presents each
family member would get for each other. Every Mother's Day, she
would e-mail her three brothers to make sure they all bought a
present for their mother. And every summer she organized the
annual family summer vacation.

"If someone said they couldn't make it one year, they would get an
earful from Ginger," Caggiano said. "She was the glue of
family."

Along with her husband and brother, Risco is survived by her
mother Mary Caggiano Malfi; her younger brothers Joe and Rick
Caggiano; and her niece Kristina Caggiano.