Mildred Matthews
Birthday: 1919
A Story of Mildred Matthews Guts and fun! With this phrase Dr. Matthews described women's leadership in an article she wrote in 1975 on "The Life and Times of a Woman Administrator". It is an apt phrase to describe her life. Mildred began her career in the 1940's a slightly shy West Texan gal with a degree in Home Economics teaching in a small town. At a time when the glass ceiling for women slotted them into secretarial nursing or teaching jobs (if they worked outside the home at all) she had a vision of using her capabilities in service that took her far beyond those beginnings. She mentored others with these words: "Find a star to live for. You may not reach that star, but you'll reach others if you're looking up. Develop one or two real and individual talents learn to admire beauty and be enthusiastic and vitally interested in everything". For her home economics was not just a second-class field destined to die away as the world modernized but taught the basic skills of budgeting money planning time utilizing available resources well attending to family relationships making home and business attractive and creatively adapting to new situations. She sought to help others improve their relationships develop skills of competency and "spend themselves" well. Moving to Illinois with her husband and two children Matthews managed a nursery school then taught high school and became Textiles Consultant for state mental hospitals. She wrote and directed a film for hospital employees called "Clothed in Color" and was proud of her work designing clothing and environments that supported returning health for patients. She also was appointed editor of the national professional association of home economists' publication the Distaff. Her own career unfolded rapidly when she moved to the State of Alaska in 1963 to accept a position as Home Economics Supervisor. The Alaska earthquake hit the state hard in March of 1964 and due to staffing inadequacies in her department Mildred was sent to Washington D.C. one week later to participate in the pivotal meeting of the 49 State Directors of Vocational Education called to respond to the newly enacted Vocational Education Act of 1963 with each state required to implement new regulations and spend new funding for Manpower programs. Arriving back in Alaska with neither home nor office (both destroyed in the earthquake) Matthews was appointed acting state director of Alaska's vocational education. She followed the office files to Juneau with no secretary no fiscal clerk and an inch think book of newly interpreted guidelines wondering if she would make it. Her enthusiasm vitality and desire to learn stood her in good stead as she planned and executed training programs in boat safety fire and police training licensed practical nurse education and started the state's first vocational school. In the process she weathered a number of incidents reflecting the then-common male attitude toward women in positions of authority. One of the men she had hired at the State had gently courted her and after their marriage in the late 1960's the two of them headed "out" to Corvallis and enrolled in Ph.D. programs in Vocational and Adult Education. He died three years later but Mildred completed her Ph.D. in 1971 researching ways to foster mobility of Mexican American Adults in her dissertation. Returning to employment at the University of Alaska Matthews expanded the role of vocational education to include Tourism Business and work with native artists to assure they received residual royalties on their arts and crafts. She also brought into being the new Tanana Valley Community College and was President of Alaskaland Park designed to give tourists to Fairbanks an authentic sense of Alaskan history. Matthews traveled often into "the bush" and brought back wonderful stories of learning to carve scrimshaw when snowed in on the Pribilof Islands or staying up all night cooking blubber with the village women in Nome after a whale had just been caught. She especially valued her relationships with the women of Alaska and after official retirement helped a businesswoman friend run a plumbing and heating business and also served as project manager for the North American Indian Women's Association's research project on "Special Needs of Indian Handicapped Children and Indian Women's Problems". Enjoying work with her hands and attuned to the land Mildred homesteaded two homes in Alaska doing much of the building herself. She has truly been a pioneer for women! Dr. Mildred Matthews Pioneer for Women Born Rockwall Texas August 26, 1919, daughter of Laurence and Irene (Allday) Shuman Education B.S. Home Economics Education West Texas State College 1940 M.Ed. Vocational Education Administration and Supervision of Home Ec Education Colorado State University 1953 postgraduate health education Univ of Illinois 1951-2 University of Kentucky: magazine writing and clothing tailoring Mississippi Southern University Bishop Institute of Clothing Construction Ph.D Oregon State University Vocational Education Adult Education Anthropology 1971 Dissertation: Fostering Upward Mobility of Mexican-American Adults Through a Critical Incident Professional Employment Teacher of home economics in Texas and Illinois 1940-1958 Textiles consultant for state hospitals and state schools department of Public Welfare State of Illinois 1955-58 Editor Distaff magazine of Kappa Omicron Phi National Home Economics honorary association1957- 1961 Author and Director of film Clothed in Color 1956-7 State Supervisor and Director Alaska Department of Education Assistant State Director of Vocational Education Acting State Director Division of Vocational-Technical Education (1964-9) development of the Beltz school in Nome and supervision of educational growth immediately after 63 quake Full professor University of Alaska and Assistant Dean of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions also: associate professor of extension and coordinator of tourism business and adult vocational education in the Division of Statewide Services Acting Director Tanana Valley Community College (1974) prepared memorandum of agreement to begin the community college initiated the first classes hired the original teachers UA representative for the "Alaska Host" program Initiated and supervised production of public relations film: Why Vocational Education? (for Alaska) Project Administrator for the North American Indian Women's Association Author of report "Special Needs of Indian Handicapped Children and Indian Women's Problems" Candidate for Alaska State Senate 1978 Honors and other activities Listed in Who's Who of American Women Who's Who of the West and Dictionary of International Biographies