Harold Matthews

Harold Downs
Matthews
Died October 18, 2014 in Houston, TX. Born in Waco, TX., on March 24, 1925, Matthews was the son of Harold Jackson Matthews (d.1966) and Grace Downs Matthews (d.1999) Following his family's move to Houston in 1931, Matthews attended Houston Public Schools, graduating Lamar High School in 1942. From 1942 through 1944, he attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, Tex. In 1945, he worked for a year as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle and the Conroe Courier. He then transferred to The University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1947 with a Bachelor of Journalism degree. In 1948 Matthews was employed by Schlumberger Well Services in Houston as supervisor of employee communication. In 1968, he joined Exxon Company, USA as a writer and editor in the Public Relations Department, taking early retirement in 1986.
During 36 years in corporate communications, Matthews received 110 awards and citations for excellence. He was active at the local and national levels in the International Association of Business Communicators. In 1995, the Houston Chapter of IABC honored Matthews with its Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2014, made him an IABC Fellow, Chapter Pioneer, Legacy Award.
In 1986, he began a second career as a freelance writer, publishing feature articles and essays in more than seventy periodicals and visiting more than 30 foreign countries along with 44 trips to the Arctic regions. He wrote and published eleven nonfiction books, nine of them on wildlife. In 1989, Parenting Magazine gave him its Certificate of Excellence for Polar Bear Cubs, Simon & Schuster; his work was nominated by the National Council of Teachers of English and the American Library Association. From 1989 through 1991, Matthews served as chairman of the Publications Committee of the American Orchid Society. In 1992, he helped to found Polar Bears International to aid in the conservation of the world's polar bears. He was a member of the Travel Journalists Guild and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Matthews was preceded in death by his beloved "Madie", Marianne Reeder Matthews. He is survived by one son, Mark Allen Matthews, of Kemah, TX., one daughter, Lisa Matthews Inman, of Dripping Springs, TX., one brother, Gerald David Matthews, of Walla Walla, Washington, and his special friends, Carl and Colette Chapman, who will take him with them in their hearts down every road they travel. His friends and caregivers will treasure their memories of his wit and sweet smile.
Matthews was buried October 21, 2014, in Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, TX.