John Howard "Jack" Matkin 

Alamo, CA. John Howard ("Jack") Matkin died October 15, 2009 after a 
long courageous battle with prostate cancer. Jack was a big, friendly 
and generous man lovingly referred to by his friends and family as 
"Mr. Aloha". Born February 19, 1940 in Long Beach, Jack graduated from 
Piedmont High School in 1957. Jack received his B.S. from U.C. 
Berkeley in 1962 and a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the 
University of Washington in 1968. In 1960 he married his wife of 49 
years, Linda Watson of Santa Barbara, California, while they were 
students at Cal. At 6'4" tall, Jack was recruited by Cal crew at his 
freshman orientation. He took to crew with characteristic 
determination and rowed varsity for 3 years. The men's varsity crew 
won back-to-back national championships at the IRA Inter-Collegiate 
Regatta in 1960 and 1961, a feat not seen since 1934-1935 or again 
until 1999-2000. Jack was one of four oarsmen on both championship 
crews. The strong sense of teamwork exhibited by his crews had a 
profound effect on Jack and the friendships he made lasted a lifetime. 
Jack and his crewmates from 1960 and 1961 are scheduled to be inducted 
into the California Athletic Hall of Fame in November. Jack worked for 
Chevron his entire 32-year career, holding managerial positions in 
research and technology, at refineries in El Segundo, California and 
in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and at a fibers plant in Odenton, 
Maryland. He served as the General Manager for Refining Technology in 
San Francisco and retired in 2000 after serving as the "Y2K champion" 
for Chevron Products Company worldwide. Jack generously gave back to 
the community throughout his career and retirement. Jack was active in 
Rotary International for 29 years, and he and his family were 
recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Jack served on the Advisory 
Committee for the Lawrence Hall of Science for 14 years, including 
several years as chair, and was on the board of directors of the 
Friends of Cal Crew. He also was a member of The Big C Society. 
Besides his sports career as an oarsman, Jack was an avid hiker, 
tennis player and marathon runner/walker. He also loved Mt. Diablo and 
explored every trail on the mountain. Jack and Linda shared a love of 
travel and ventured many places such as Nepal, Antarctica, China, 
Europe, South America and Australia. They also spent much time in 
Hawai'i and incorporated the "aloha" spirit into their daily lives. 
Jack also had a deep love of nature. Some of Jack's favorite pastimes 
included camping, hiking and fishing at his beloved Browne's Meadows, 
his family "ranch" in the Sierra mountains along the North Fork of the 
Tuolumne river where Jack spent many happy summers as a child. 
Browne's Meadows has been in Jack's family for generations and was the 
location for the filming of several episodes of Bonanza. Jack loved to 
share this beautiful place with friends, many of whom have been 
gathering there for an annual 4th of July celebration for 40 years. 
Surviving are his wife, Linda Matkin, sister Jenny Matkin Ford of Long 
Barn, California, brother Joel Matkin of Sonora, California, brother 
Gerald Matkin of Deming, New Mexico, his children Jennifer Matkin of 
San Rafael, Christine Savage of Kaneohe, Hawai'i and John R. Matkin of 
Honolulu, Hawai'i, and many beloved nieces and nephews. He was 
preceded in death by his sister Joan Matkin Sanderson of Beavercreek, 
Oregon. An informal gathering of Jack's family and friends will be 
held at the T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center, University of California, 
2999 Glascock Street, Oakland, California 94601 on Sunday, November 
1st at 2 p.m. A memorial service at Browne's Meadows will be held at a 
later date. Memorials may be made to The Bruns House (Hospice of the 
East Bay), The Wellness Community, the Lawrence Hall of Science, the 
Friends of Cal Crew, the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International or 
the Rotary Club of Walnut Creek Community Foundation. Arrangements are 
by TraditionCare Funeral Services. Further information may be found at 
www.traditioncare.com. Go Bears! 

Published in San Francisco Chronicle from October 24 to October 25, 
2009