Des Plaines History Center

Joy Matthiessen has served as Executive Director since December 1989.  Following a ten year stint as a Girl Scout field executive, she arrived in Des Plaines after completing her master's degree in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University, and serving archives internships at the Missouri Historical Society, Henry Ford Museum and Arlington Heights Historical Museum.   

Her love of local history is deeply rooted in family lore.  When her maternal grandfather tore down the 19^th century upper Michigan family homestead in the late 1950s, he found it was insulated with old Chicago Tribune newspapers, and brought young Joy and her mother upstairs to take a look -- whereupon, they carefully extricated a few chunks as "souvenirs."   

An interest in cemeteries was fostered by her paternal grandparents who took an impressionable child to visit the family graves.  Today, Joy gives talks on Cemetery Symbolism to groups throughout the Chicagoland area. 

Joy believes that volunteers are the mainstay of any not-for-profit organization, and is proud of the 3,000+ hours given by DPHS volunteers annually.   She works with the Board of Trustees, and is often seen at community functions and serves on various citywide committees. 

In 2000, Joy was named "Museum Professional of the Year" by the Illinois Association of Museums, and in 2005 was given an "Outstanding Graduate Alumnus Award" by her alma mater Eastern Illinois University.