DUBOIS – Former DuBois resident Delores “Dee” Matthews will be the guest speaker at the 32nd annual dinner of the DuBois Area Historical Society.
The dinner is scheduled for Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. at the Christ Lutheran Church. The church is located at 875 Sunflower Dr., DuBois.
The cost for the evening is $18. The menu consists of Marsalles chicken, lasagna, roasted red potatoes, glazed baby carrots, Sonoma salad, dessert and a beverage. Reservations are due by Sept. 8.
“There have been many moments, if not years, that I have wanted to return home to express so very much about what growing up in DuBois has meant to me and to my brothers,” said Matthews, a graduate of DuBois High School in 1956 and who is currently living in New York City.
In light of that sentiment, her topic is, “Rooted and Grounded – Bridges Crossed: Unfiltered, Straight, No Chaser.”
“I feel this is an important message at this particular time in our history,” said Matthews. “It is a message that I have wanted to deliver for quite a long period of time, and know that it can only be presented by a ‘homegrown person of color.’”
The 1956, the DuBois High School yearbook described Matthews as “a lively lass” who could always be found making someone laugh. She was musically inclined, having been drum major her senior year and bass trombone player during concert season. She was also a member of the ensemble, trio and octet. She entertained in Hi Varieties for three years and served as student council secretary her senior year.
In 1985, she was selected as the DuBois High School Distinguished Music Alumna Award Honoree and was inducted into the Music Hall of Fame.
From 1979 until her retirement in 2001, Matthews was a member of the department of psychiatry at Columbia University, New York City. She was called out of retirement on Sept. 11, 2001, to serve as a part-time position for the Care for the Caregivers Interfaith Project following the 9/11 attacks.