I drove Joan to Rush at the University of Illinois. We had just graduated together from high school and had been going together for a year.

It was 1952. She was to be my future wife, but that week she was excited to join Phi Mu’s Delta Beta chapter. I had decided to go to the U of I also, so we could be together. We had four great years on campus, and I spent a lot of time at her chapter house. We married right after graduation.

Joan has been gone two years now. We were together for 73 years. I believe she would want new pledges and actives to know how much Phi Mu meant throughout her lifetime.

She was firm in her belief that graduating Phi Mu’s should become involved in alumni chapters and help to counsel incoming chapter members. Through the years she felt the highlights of her life was watching young women set their goals high after she had encouraged them.

She felt strongly about what she could do as a Phi Mu Alumni. Our first two years of marriage were spent in Hawaii during my Army service. She joined the Honolulu Alumni Chapter and helped with fund-raising.

Next came my corporate transfer to Watertown, Wisconsin. She drove monthly to be Involved with the Milwaukee Alumni chapter. Two years later was my transfer to Madison where Joan founded the first Alumni chapter and served as their first President.

Through the years she was always excited about the help these chapters gave to active collegiates on college campuses. Our next corporate move was to Peoria, Illinois where she founded a new Alumni chapter and served as President. Following that I was transferred to our Chicago headquarters and Joan became active in the large suburban Alumni chapter. Some major projects were involved.

After four years I resigned to buy a dealership and we moved to Rockford, Il for the rest of our married life. She joined the Rockford Alumni Phi Mu chapter and served twice as President. This was the sixth Alumni chapter where she had been a member…..Also she began her involvement at the national level.

Her roles as she progressed through state and national jobs were as follows:

1976 Phi Mu State Day Chairman
1982-84 National Council NPC Delegate
1984-86 National Council Extension Director
1986-88 Phi Mu Foundation Secretary
1988-92 Foundation 2d Vice President
1992-94 Philanthropic Activities Chairman
1994-96 Foundation Treasurer
1996-98 Foundation President
Joan then became part of the steering committee to create the new Phi Mu National Headquarters
2002 National Council recognized Joan as Outstanding Alumni for Phi Mu
2004 Joan became Chairman of 1852 Society

At the time of her death in 2023 Joan had been an active part of Phi Mu for 70 years. She had attended 22 national conventions. Phi Mu’s throughout the U.S. were her closest friends. She believed that Phi Mu had represented a huge positive impact on her life, along with the satisfaction of helping a lot of young women find their potential. She believed that her greatest contribution in life came from helping collegiate believe In themselves and set high goals.

She was the “Miracle” in my life during 73 years together. I will always be proud of what she accomplished, as are her three children.

A video on YouTube is titled “Joan Wallem, A Lifetime Phi Mu”. It can be seen by entering “Joan Wallem Phi Mu Tribute”.

– Paul Wallem