Joan “Stevie” Eller was born and raised in Paxton, Illinois, where her father owned and published the local newspaper, “The Paxton Daily Record”.  Stevie had a sister, Phyllis, and a brother, Herb.  She attended school in Paxton where she was a cheerleader and involved with the dance team at Paxton High School.

Stevie developed some asthma issues and, though she applied for Northwestern University, her parents encouraged her to perhaps move west for the health reasons.  She remembers asking her father, “You mean they have a university out there?”

Stevie and her parents took the Southern Pacific RR to visit Tucson and The University of Arizona in June 1948.  Though the temperature felt like hell, when they toured the campus she thought, “I died and went to Heaven.”  And this began her love affair with the U of A.  A year later another love would enter her life when she met her future husband, Karl Eller.

Karl and Stevie dated throughout college, married, and have been together ever since.  They have two children and six grandchildren.  She is still active in many philanthropic groups, political events and, of course, the University of Arizona.