Lydia is a 1968 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University - Madison where she majored in English. There is a wide consensus among the Political Science faculty that the department would probably collapse without Lydia. She also acts as the departmental therapist.

Lydia and her husband Rich live in Madison and have two children. She loves both movies and books. Her favorite movies are Ordinary People, Godfather I and II (and certainly not III!). She is a big fan of both Anna Quinlan and Maya Angelou. She and Rich also like to travel in New England.