Hall of Fame
James B. Matthews ’53 – Class of 1999
The Physicist…
The halls of the Science Building have delivered a fair share of Dolphin athletes, despite the challenge of demanding academic curricula. Few have distinguished themselves more as a scientist or in competition wearing green and gold than this four-year letterman in Indoor and Outdoor Track and Cross Country.
He captained each team and led them in scoring in his senior year. The Dolphin squads in the early years were long on heart but often short on warm bodies, and multiple races were the rule. From the 200-yard dash to the marathon, he could deliver. In one meet at Hamilton College, he ran seven times, winning four events and placing second or third in the others.
Under the guidance of legendary coach Pat Hughes at Eastwood High School and his early years at Le Moyne, he developed into a superb tactical runner with a unique style. The quintessential scientist and perfectionist, he seemed to view each race as an evolutionary process. He would choose a group and time his break with precision to take the best advantage of the field. He gave no appearance of exertion and as he approached the finish line he seemed to focus beyond the tape, as if he intended to continue running.
If he excelled at running, he was even more formidable in the laboratory. The two passions reinforced each other. The solitude of long-distance training provided fertile time for pondering physics; the physical exertion balanced the intellectual stimulation of science; the methodical approach to racing tactics mirrored the discipline of the laboratory.
His teammates sensed brilliance in this quiet yet personable young man who had straight - A’s in physics, but was assigned a Jesuit mentor to coach his spelling. His career at Cornell University, General Electric and his own firm, MATHTEC, in research, design development and manufacture of complex electronic systems has proved them right. He worked with the nation’s top scientist in the Trident Missile Program and was the first recipient of the Navy’s Exceptional Achievement Award.
The young college on the Heights seeking to establish a reputation could proudly point to his achievements as a measure of its capacity to nurture scientific talent.
In the half-century since he enrolled at Le Moyne, the college’s stature has been well established in both athletics and the sciences. A man whose career on campus marked a path that, followed by others, has become a tradition,
James B Matthews ’53 in inducted to the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
February 6, 1999
