Turk and Belinda Matthews
Turk Matthews was almost a Georgia Bulldog. A native of Columbia, his parents told him he could go to school anywhere except for the University of South Carolina. They weren’t anti-Gamecock, but they wanted their only son to leave home and get some experience living on his own. He was all set to go to the University of Georgia but a few days before the start of the semester, he changed his mind.
“Three or four days before Clemson started classes in August of 1965, I said, ‘You know, I think I want to go to Clemson,’ so I called up there and got a room and paid my fees. You can’t do that kind of thing today,” he said. “I had never been there before. The day I enrolled was the first time I had ever seen the place.”
Matthews had a lot of friends attending Clemson, but he still isn’t entirely sure what made him change his mind back then, but he’s glad he did. At Clemson, Matthews was active in several student organizations, including Tiger Brotherhood and Sigma Alpha Zeta, which was Clemson’s first national fraternity that helped pave the way for the variety of Greek letter fraternities and sororities that Clemson has today.
“Joining that fraternity made a big difference in my life. I made a lot of wonderful lifelong friends,” he said. “It was the best decision I ever made.”
Matthews was also a member the Central Dance Association, which planned large dances and concerts for the campus. In that organization, he became friends with President Emeritus Jim Barker, with whom he is still friends today.
Matthews graduated in 1969 with a degree in history, the first in his family to earn a college degree.
“Neither my mother or father went to college, and their dream my whole life was for me to earn a college degree,” he said. “That made them real happy.”
After graduation, he said he was “invited” to join the U.S. Army for basic training in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and after serving in the South Carolina National Guard, he returned to Columbia to work at his family’s business. The Matthews family has owned Modern Exterminating Company Inc. of Columbia SC for more than 70 years. Today, the business is managed by Matthews’ son, Glenn.
Matthews has been a strong supporter of Clemson ever since graduation, with 56 consecutive years of donations. When his father, George G. Matthews Sr., passed away in 1999, Matthews and his mother, Katherine, wanted to honor his memory with a gift to Clemson. When he was looking for where to make a gift, he turned to Clemson’s new president, his old friend Jim Barker, for advice. Barker suggested the Libraries, so they established the George G. Matthews Sr. Endowment for Humanities Library Resources, which allows the Libraries to purchase collections materials and resources specifically related to humanities disciplines.
Matthews has also been very involved in his fraternity’s support of the Libraries. Room 201A on the second floor of Cooper Library is named the Sigma Alpha Zeta Room, and the fraternity members have donated more than $100,000 over the years to make it a presentation room where students can practice presentations and hold group meetings and study sessions. The room also includes a display of photos and mementos from “the Zetas,” helping to ensure that future generations of students can learn about Clemson’s original fraternity.
This past year, Matthews and his wife Belinda, also donated to fund a student assistant position to help with digitization projects for the Libraries.
“Dean Cox told us this was something we could help with, and it does two things — it helps the Libraries and it helps a student,” said Matthews. “It’s almost like a two-for-one.”
In addition to supporting the Libraries, the Matthews also give to the ClemsonLIFE program, which offers a collegiate experience to students with intellectual disabilities. They were inspired to support the program after hearing a ClemsonLIFE student speak at Matthews’ Golden Tiger Reunion in 2019.
“The thing about Clemson is how much larger it has gotten since I was a student. Everywhere you look, they’re building something … it’s amazing what’s going on. I understand it has become a very popular place to go to school,” he said. “I’m just proud to be a small part of it.”