Deacon William Graham Matthews
Deacon William G. Matthews Jr., the son of the late William G. Matthews Sr. and Jenny Mae McLaughlin Matthews, was born in Scotland County Wagram, N.C. on January 4, 1931.
Deacon Matthews does not mind telling you how old he is at 92. Being the oldest son of the family, with four younger brothers and four younger sisters, the nickname Brother seen appropriate for him. A name given to him that not only meant a great deal to his family but to others who knew him as well.
He attended elementary school in Scotland County, known as The Wagram Colored School Wagram, NC. Deacon Matthews received his secondary education from Laurinburg Institute Laurinburg, NC where he finished in 1949 and entered his post-secondary education at N C. A & T College from 1950 – 1954. As a young teenager he liked to play basketball, he was a good player; he wanted to pursue it as an extracurricular activity in school. However, since he was the oldest son in the family his father thought it would be a good idea to choose another activity such as brick masonry, should anything happen to him, Deacon Matthews would have to take over the family.
His father had a great influence on him as well as his neighbors, Deacon Ed and Novella Covington, and his high school teacher, Mr. Archie Campbell. In high school, his favored subject was math. As a teenager, he was a school bus driver at the age of seventeen and a brick mason. With the help of Mr. Archie Campbell, he was the second-place winner of the North Carolina Brick Laying Contest.
With his love of math and brick masonry he wanted to teach others, so he entered NCA&T College in the fall of 1950.
There he spent the next four years concentrating on a major in Industrial Arts Education and Math, where he received a degree in 1954. His father had three children in college at one time. He had to work his way through school by working in the college cafeteria and working with Mr. John T. Mc Phatter in the summertime laying bricks. Yet you could see his name on the Dean List and other college accomplishments in the Old Negro papers, The Journal & Guide of Norfolk, VA, and The Baltimore Afro – American of Baltimore, Maryland. When you are a college student and you work, have money in your pockets, on the Dean List, popular on campus and you are a very handsome guy, what fraternity do you join? You go for the Red and White and you ride around in a red truck when you retire. One of Deacon Matthews’s most memorable accomplishment in college was becoming a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. Deacon Matthews was much more than a popular student on campus as you will see. His military experiences, his teaching career and community and church involvement were very important to him.
His military involvement began at NC A & T College. A & T was a land grant college. Therefore, it had to have a ROTC program. Every male student had to take two years of ROTC; if the ending of your student number was odd you were in the Army and if it was even you were in the Air Force. Deacon Matthews finished the four years course of ROTC and was commission a 2nd. Lieutenant. in the Army. He had a brother in the Army on active duty overseas so he did not serve overseas. After leaving NCA&T he came home to teach Math and Industrial Arts at Shaw High Schools for 14 years. When the Scotland Schools integrated in the 1968 /1969 school year he went to Scotland High, where he joined the North Carolina National Guard.
Deacon Matthews was one of the first Blacks along with Charles Freeman to join the National Guard in the 14 Southern States. It was not an easy path to make, he endued a great deal of pain and suffering, he did it with silent, patient, and a strong will attitude to succeed, making it an easier path for other Blacks to follow.
In order to become a North Carolina National Guardsman he had to give up his rank as a 2nd Lieutenant. and start as a Sergeant E-5. He had to listen to his White Commanders give inspirational speeches to the white troops such as: “You are a man, You are free and white, you can do any dam thing you want too.”
Deacon Matthews could not say it out aloud but he was thinking to himself “I am a man too, I am Free, Black and educated, and you will not stop me from doing any damn thing I want too” and they did not.
He became a Tank Commander and rose to the rank of Sergeant First Class. Deacon Matthews won many honors as a tank commander and did his job so well, he was asked to recruit others young Blacks into the North Carolina National Guard. Deacon Matthews excelled in this task as well.
His ability to speak to young people of all races in schools as he traveled throughout North Carolina landed him a job in Washington D.C. at the Pentagon, where he could recruit young people from all over the nation not just in North Carolina, but every state in the United States. He was assigned his personal helicopter to travel throughout the nation to carry out his duties. One of his highest military honors was becoming a Command Sergeant Major the highest enlisted rank in the army.
Deacon Matthews became the first Black Command Sergeant Major in the United States to be selected for an Enlistment Adviser in the Washington District of Columbia National Guard to the Commander of the Capital Guardians. This unit consisted of the Air and Army National Guard.
He had command of over 1,200 Air men and a total of 3,000 troops under his command. This was during the administration of President George H. W. Bush. He once again had his personal helicopter to carry out his duties. He served in the military for 28 years. This was just one of his positive experiences in his life. He retired from military service in the year of 1990 and came back home to Wagram, NC.
Deacon Matthews always considered his first job as a teacher his best job. He taught in the North Carolina School System for 24 years. If you ask around, you will know the older generation will nod their head, saying “Yes, he taught me” throughout 14 years at Shaw High School. After coming back home he taught one year at Purnell Swett High School and he was invited back to Scotland High School to teach for nine more years there, so if you look around again, the younger generation will be nodding their head, saying “Yes, he taught me too.” He touched the lives of many students in high school and community college as well. Especially the young men he taught them how to work and support themselves. He did not cut any corners with them, they were all young men and he told them the hard cold facts of life — “Don’t go down that road. I been there.”
Deacon Matthews have always played a very important role in the community. He is the past Chairman of the Scotland Board of Health, the Scotland County Aging Advisory Council, the past President of the Seven District Precinct of Wagram, he was the Committee Chairman for the building of the Wagram Recreation Center Scotland. He continues to be a very active member in the Retired Military Association.
Last but not least, he is a church man. He was born and raised in Spring Branch Missionary Baptist Church a lifelong member with a life of service with a Christian background. Twenty-eight in the military, twenty-four years as an educator, ninety – two years a member of Spring Branch Missionary Baptist Church, Twenty two years of the ninety-two years in the following capacities: Sunday School Teacher, Sunday School Superintendent and Church Trustee. Fifty- seven of the ninety-two years as a deacon, fifteen years of the fifty-seven years as the Chairman of the Board of Deacons. Any Spring Branch Member will attest to the facts that Deacon Matthews will stand up for Spring Branch in any circumstances; he has a great love for Spring Branch.
In memory of his parents, Mr. William Graham Matthews Sr. and Mrs. Jenny Mae McLaughlin Matthews, his family deeded their Family Cemetery to Spring Branch as Spring Branch Matthews Memorial Garden. Deacon Matthews love of the youth in his family, the church and the community led him to build a Recreational Park for the community usage free of charge, where he sponsors a senior Citizen Cook Out every year. He also wanted the Youth to have a place to go where they could get along with one another, where parents, mentors, and friends could advise them not to go down that road.
We love you Deacon Matthews. You are our Jeramiah, the prophet. The Spring Branch Members know what I am talking about, he gets very emotional about Spring Branch, especially the youth. His advice to the youth is, “Listen, and don’t go down that road, I been there.” My Wagram hometown Black American Hero, Deacon William Graham Matthews. We are very proud of you. May God Continue to bless you and keep you in Peace.
– Deacon Simuel Hines