John Howard "Jack" Matkin

John Howard "Jack" Matkin Alamo, CA. John Howard ("Jack") Matkin died October 15, 2009 after a long courageous battle with prostate cancer. Jack was a big, friendly and generous man lovingly referred to by his friends and family as "Mr. Aloha". Born February 19, 1940 in Long Beach, Jack graduated from Piedmont High School in 1957. Jack received his B.S. from U.C. Berkeley in 1962 and a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington in 1968. In 1960 he married his wife of 49 years, Linda Watson of Santa Barbara, California, while they were students at Cal. At 6'4" tall, Jack was recruited by Cal crew at his freshman orientation. He took to crew with characteristic determination and rowed varsity for 3 years. The men's varsity crew won back-to-back national championships at the IRA Inter-Collegiate Regatta in 1960 and 1961, a feat not seen since 1934-1935 or again until 1999-2000. Jack was one of four oarsmen on both championship crews. The strong sense of teamwork exhibited by his crews had a profound effect on Jack and the friendships he made lasted a lifetime. Jack and his crewmates from 1960 and 1961 are scheduled to be inducted into the California Athletic Hall of Fame in November. Jack worked for Chevron his entire 32-year career, holding managerial positions in research and technology, at refineries in El Segundo, California and in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and at a fibers plant in Odenton, Maryland. He served as the General Manager for Refining Technology in San Francisco and retired in 2000 after serving as the "Y2K champion" for Chevron Products Company worldwide. Jack generously gave back to the community throughout his career and retirement. Jack was active in Rotary International for 29 years, and he and his family were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Jack served on the Advisory Committee for the Lawrence Hall of Science for 14 years, including several years as chair, and was on the board of directors of the Friends of Cal Crew. He also was a member of The Big C Society. Besides his sports career as an oarsman, Jack was an avid hiker, tennis player and marathon runner/walker. He also loved Mt. Diablo and explored every trail on the mountain. Jack and Linda shared a love of travel and ventured many places such as Nepal, Antarctica, China, Europe, South America and Australia. They also spent much time in Hawai'i and incorporated the "aloha" spirit into their daily lives. Jack also had a deep love of nature. Some of Jack's favorite pastimes included camping, hiking and fishing at his beloved Browne's Meadows, his family "ranch" in the Sierra mountains along the North Fork of the Tuolumne river where Jack spent many happy summers as a child. Browne's Meadows has been in Jack's family for generations and was the location for the filming of several episodes of Bonanza. Jack loved to share this beautiful place with friends, many of whom have been gathering there for an annual 4th of July celebration for 40 years. Surviving are his wife, Linda Matkin, sister Jenny Matkin Ford of Long Barn, California, brother Joel Matkin of Sonora, California, brother Gerald Matkin of Deming, New Mexico, his children Jennifer Matkin of San Rafael, Christine Savage of Kaneohe, Hawai'i and John R. Matkin of Honolulu, Hawai'i, and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister Joan Matkin Sanderson of Beavercreek, Oregon. An informal gathering of Jack's family and friends will be held at the T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center, University of California, 2999 Glascock Street, Oakland, California 94601 on Sunday, November 1st at 2 p.m. A memorial service at Browne's Meadows will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to The Bruns House (Hospice of the East Bay), The Wellness Community, the Lawrence Hall of Science, the Friends of Cal Crew, the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International or the Rotary Club of Walnut Creek Community Foundation. Arrangements are by TraditionCare Funeral Services. Further information may be found at www.traditioncare.com. Go Bears!