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Dr. Joan Walters, a former Darien resident, died Sunday, July 31 at the age of 86. Walters was the first female professor in Fairfield Universitys history.
Walters was born on August 5, 1924 in Providence, R.I.. She graduated from the citys Lincoln School in 1942, and then earned her degree in economics from Radcliffe College. She continued to study economics at Harvard University, receiving both her Masters and her Doctorate from the school by 1950.
Walters started her career in research, first with the government through the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and then in the private sector with Citibank. She and her family moved to Darien after she became Fairfields first female faculty member in 1963. At Fairfield she taught courses in banking, finance, international trade and government policy. She served as chair of the economics department, and worked on a number of other school committees before her retirement in 1994.
Walters was predeceased by her husband Gerard Bucky Walters and two brothers, James and Jack Gilbert. She is survived by her five children: Gerard G. Rod Walters and his wife Noel of San Mateo, Calif., Timothy J. Walters and his wife Wendy of Newton, Mass., Julie Stukenberg and her husband Les of Prescott Valley, Ariz., Elaine Walters of San Francisco, Calif., Joanna Walters of Truckee, Calif. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, and a sister, Ann Putnam.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in St. Veronica Chapel, 1035 Boston Neck Road, Narragansett, R.I. followed by burial in St. Francis Cemetery, in Pawtucket, R.I. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Joans honor, may be made to the: Dr. Joan Walters Scholarship Fund, C/O Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824.
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