Born and raised in Mount Pleasant, Texas, John Matthews attended Harts Bluff through eighth grade before graduating from Mount Pleasant High School. In 1990, he earned an associate degree in chemistry and mathematics from Northeast Texas Community College after receiving a full scholarship through the then-named Mt. Pleasant Community Scholarship. His decision to attend NTCC was also influenced by his mother, Evyone Matthews, who was an NTCC nursing instructor, and his older brother, Kevin, who had graduated from the college the year before.
At NTCC, John discovered opportunities he had not imagined for himself. Although he had struggled with math in high school, his experience with NTCC’s dedicated instructors changed his perspective. After beginning with basic algebra under Dr. Richey, John quickly gained confidence and went on to study advanced mathematics through Calculus 3.
Working in the chemistry lab with Dr. Archer during his first year helped John identify his interest in chemistry and engineering. He was initially accepted into Texas A&M University’s Chemical Engineering Department, but a scholarship opportunity led him to change his major to Petroleum Engineering. He graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and went on to build a 20-plus-year career in the oil and gas industry around the world.
John credits NTCC with providing the strong academic foundation and confidence that prepared him for success at Texas A&M and beyond. The smaller class sizes allowed him to build relationships with professors, ask questions and receive focused attention—opportunities he believes would have been much harder to find at a large university.
His NTCC experience extended well beyond the classroom. John was a member of the local Phi Theta Kappa chapter, performed as Dr. McGuire in Look Homeward Angel after taking Dr. Hoppock’s speech class, and even accompanied Dr. Seabourne on one of his Race Across America adventures from Texas to California.
After decades of working around the world, John and his wife, Elaine, returned to Mount Pleasant in 2022. Looking back, John sees NTCC as a pivotal part of his journey—one that opened his eyes to what was possible and set him on an incredible career path.
