Ms. Lou Ann Richardson

A native of Biloxi, Miss., Wallen moved to Dallas with her family in the 1970’’s. She was a cheerleader during her junior high and high school years and was named Who’s Who in High School Scholastics. After graduating from high school with various honors and scholarships, Wallen enrolled at SFA in the fall of 1979. She was a member and officer of Gamma Sigma Sigma, American Marketing Association and Phi Chi Theta at the university.
Wallen graduated summa cum laude in 1982. Her professional career included positions with Proctor & Gamble in Seattle, Wash., and with Baskin & Robbins in Dallas as district manager of the southwest United States. In 1996, Wallen joined Starbucks Coffee and became a regional director. She was responsible for pioneering the company’s Smalltown Project that placed Starbucks in communities such as Temple, Waco, and Tyler. She also helped open the Oklahoma and New Orleans markets and ran the New Mexico market for Starbucks.
Wallen was active on numerous community boards, charities and organizations, including the Women in Sports Foundation, AIDS Service of Dallas and the “Flying W’s” supporting AIDS research.
In 2001, Wallen was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas and liver. While undergoing tests in early December for possible full transplant, the cancer was discovered to be more widespread than originally expected. Wallen died December 26, 2001, eight days after her friends, family, and Starbucks Coffee hosted a “living memorial” to celebrate her life.