Eva Zeisel is set to receive the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Cooper-Hewitt in October. Zeisel will be 99 in November, raising the question, why didn't she receive such an award 20 years ago? Better late than never I suppose. Yet, what designer did more to move Modernism beyond its unadorned utilitarian interpretations? Her designs show an exploration of organic, fluid, natural forms well before any software modeling was possible or imaginable. Zeisel's continued creative output should also give hope to any designer who might fear the onset of age means diminished ability.