Joan Kirkham was born December 21, 1926 in Topeka, Kansas. After graduating from Seaman high school in 1944, she attended the University of Kansas in Lawrence, starting as a music major and playing the trumpet before switching to mathematics.

Kirkham graduated with her B.A. in math in 1948 and received her M.A. in 1960 from the University of Denver. Throughout her career she worked at the Denver Research Institute, McDonnell Aviation in St. Louis, Mo., and for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs. While at NORAD she tracked reflective objects in space, such as satellites and manmade debris.

After retiring in 1987, Kirkham continued being active in the National Association of Parliamentarians, serving as president of the Colorado division from 1988-1990. Eventually she moved back to Lawrence, Kan. and established the Joan Kirkham Mathematics Opportunity Award for graduate students in the mathematics department to help them pay for travel to conferences or summer research.

Joan Kirkham passed away October 11, 2015.