| Sources |
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 168.
- [S47] Sevier County, Tennessee and its Heritage, Sevier County Heritage Book Committee, (1994, Don Mills, Inc.), 272.
- [S78] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume I, 1930-1954, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 24 Aug 1952.
Peter Wilson Sarrett obituary
- [S142] Newspaper Article, The Middlesboro Daily News (KY), 23 Aug 2008.
MIDDLESBORO - Herman Gracy Matthews passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, August 22, 2008, in the company of his wife, Janet, and his family.
He was born on April 11, 1930, in Jamestown, Tenn., the only son of Herman G. Matthews Sr., and Olive Dixie Murrell. His mother died within a month of his birth, and his father married Esther Sarrette, who became the mother of his two sisters, Ruth Matthews and Marie Ottinger Tipp.
During his elementary and high school years, he lived with Roscoe J. and Belle Lankford of Fonde and Middlesboro. He attended Middlesboro High School and, after serving three years in the United States Air Force, graduated from Lincoln Memorial University. He was married to Janet Billingsley in June of 1955, and they moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he earned his master's degree in mathematics from Vanderbilt University.
When he returned to Middlesboro, he taught in the Middlesboro Public School system before beginning his lifelong career at Lincoln Memorial University. He served as associate professor of mathematics and as chairman of the Department of Mathematics and was placed on the LMU "Wall of Fame" in 1995. Inspired by one of his professors at Vanderbilt, he began to study football ratings systems and developed his own, Matthews Grid Ratings, which he operated from 1965 to 2006.
He began playing the piano at an early age at the urging of his Uncle Roscoe and Aunt Belle Lankford, and served as pianist at First Baptist Church for over 50 years. He also served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher and on various committees.
He will be missed by many students, colleagues, friends and acquaintances from many years of service at First Baptist and LMU.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Janet; sisters Ruth Matthews and Marie Tipp; his children, Timothy (Therese Anne), Lydia (Dan) Seibert, Jennifer (Doug) Vickers, Jane Anne (Steve) Smith, William (Anissa), Cherie (Lowell) Myers and Emily; grandchildren Sarah (Steve) McLean, Lauren (Kevin) Cowart, Alison (Jesse) Mathenia, Julie, Elizabeth, Rebecca and David Matthews , Kimberly, Daniel, Jennie, Cosette and Timmy Seibert, Camille, Tara, Amanda, Travis, Kenna and Ethan Vickers, Steven, Matthew, Jacob and Sammy Smith, Nikki, Megan, Ashley and Lakin Matthews , Aaron, Olivia, Seth and Madeline Myers, and Beth Ann Rowlett; and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be from 2-4 p.m. at First Baptist Church, followed at 4 p.m. by the funeral service. Burial will follow immediately in Hurst Cemetery.
The Rev. Jack Pennington and the Rev. Matt Duvall will be officiating the service, with Tim Matthews and Tom Stapleton giving the eulogy. Scripture will be read by Sarah Matthews McLean, and music will be provided by the grandchildren, Camille Vickers and the First Baptist Church choir. The instrumentalists will be Theresa Brown and Michael Bayless.
Pallbearers will be Tim Matthews , Dan Seibert, Doug Vickers, Steve Smith, Bill Matthews , Lowell Myers, Matt Smith, and Daniel Seibert. Honorary pallbearers will be the Men's Sunday School Class and all Deacons at First Baptist Church and Dr. Neil Barry.
Creech Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the First Baptist Church.
- [S142] Newspaper Article, The Middlesboro Daily News (KY), 23 Aug 2008.
Deceased Name: LMU mourns loss of retired professor Herman Matthews
HARROGATE, Tenn. - Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) and the Tri-state are mourning the loss of dear friend, honored alumnus, retired faculty member and football ranking guru Herman Matthews , who passed away on Thursday, August 22.
"Herman dedicated over 40 years of his life to Lincoln Memorial University and to teaching students math," LMU President Nancy B. Moody said. "The dedication, hard work and love of others that Herman Matthews exhibited on a daily basis were blessings to this University and our coAe will be missed."
Born on April 11, 1930, Matthews attended three different high schools before attending LMU. A 1955 graduate of LMU, he devoted 44 years of service to the University as a professor of mathematics. He received a master's degree from Vanderbilt University in 1959.
During his tenure at LMU, Matthews impacted the lives of countless students and given tirelessly to the University, serving as both faculty member and administrator. He served as chair for various departments at LMU including the department of math and natural sciences from 1992 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2003, the department of mathematics and computer sciences from 1998 to 2001 and the department of mathematics from 2001 to 2002. He was the active mace barer at commencement until his retirement in May of 2007, when he was honored at commencement with a resolution from the board of trustees.
Matthews turned a passion for numbers and a love of football into a nationally recognized rating system which was used in the Bowl Championship Series (BSC) formula. He started his ranking system crunching numbers with a pencil and paper in 1945. He was a featured mathematician for the Scripps Howard News Service which had carried his football rating system for over 15 years. His ratings have also appeared in Football News, the Middlesboro Daily News, the Harlan Daily Enterprise and the Lexington Herald Leader. Stories on his system have been featured in Sports Illustrated and USA Today.
Matthews was a member of the Mathematical Association of America and is a member of the LMU Educators' Hall of Fame. He was a pianist at First Baptist Church in Middlesboro. He also served as Sunday school teacher, training union director, and as a member of the Board of Deacons.
Visitation will be at the First Baptist Church in Middlesboro, from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, August 24. His funeral is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the church, and his burial will follow.
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1930 - 2008 (78 years)