Joyce Fadem, Calif. Teachers Assn. Political Director

Joyce Fadem, director of political affairs for the California Teachers Assn. (CTA) and one of a handful of non-lawyers to ever serve on the California State Bar Board of Governors, died Sunday at her home in Burlingame after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Mrs. Fadem, who also served on the Los Angeles Housing Authority Board of Commissioners at a time when the Housing Authority was under attack for alleged mismanagement, had remarried just one week before her death at age 53.

She joined the CTA staff in 1969 and served in various capacities until being appointed to the association’s top political post in 1978.

In 1974, under new legislation broadening the number of State Bar governors, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. named her as one of six non-lawyers to the 21-member group. That same year, Mayor Tom Bradley appointed her to the Housing Authority Board, where in 1982 she successfully fought for an investigation into charges of mismanagement involving the agency.

Focus of Investigation

The inquiry stemmed from reports that competitive-bidding procedures had been circumvented and that friends of the executive director had been paid thousands of dollars for little or no work.

Commenting Tuesday on Mrs. Fadem’s efforts for the CTA, Ralph J. Flynn, the organization’s executive director, said: “Her impact on legislators’ understanding of education needs influenced passage of all major education legislation during the past decade. Her loss will be deeply felt, not only by her friends and colleagues but also by those who never knew her but were affected through her accomplishments.”

A teacher by training, she taught at University High School, Los Angeles City and Immaculate Heart colleges and at UCLA before joining the CTA, where she was credited with helping obtain one of the largest education budget increases in state history.

For her efforts she was honored by the Los Angeles City Council in 1984 and the Legislature last January.

Three Survivors

On Feb. 24 Mrs. Fadem, who used her first husband’s name throughout her career, married Charles Duffy of Oakland. Her other survivors include two daughters, Judith Goldberg and Chaya Meyers.

A memorial service will be held Sunday at Temple Emmanuel in Beverly Hills. The family is asking for contributions to the American Cancer Society or other charities.