Enriquez, Sandra Rodriguez, Samantha Matthews, Doug

Description

Doug W. Matthews was born in 1951 in Galveston and was raised in the Westend community. While he experienced the segregation of public venues, such as the seawall, restaurants, and movie theaters, Matthews' parents encouraged him to control his own future by working twice as hard. Matthews attend Central High, the first African-American High School in Texas, for three years and benefited from the school's academic rigor and dedication to all of its students. His senior year at the integrated Ball High played a critical role in Matthews' career path, as his academic and athletic achievements along with the relationships he forged paved the way for his tenure as a grants coordinator and city manager. He talks about the multitude of federal grants available in the 1970s and how he secured monies for urban planning and employment training. Matthews also discusses his experiences at Lamar University, how he worked to bridge the gap between the city government's middle class perception of neighborhood improvement and the unmet basic needs of the African-American community, how Galveston cultivated its tourist industry, the resurrection of Mardi Gras celebrations on the island, his role in the maintenance of Juneteenth celebrations, the struggles to preserve the Old Central Cultural Center and his involvement in other historical preservation efforts, and how hurricanes have shaped the political and social landscape of Galveston. Lastly, he shares his experiences as an Assistant Vice President of Government Relations for UTMB, his views on cross-racial collaboration, and his role as a deacon...

Record Contributed By

TCU Mary Couts Burnett Library

Record Harvested From

The Portal to Texas History