Hamilton Co. School Board Member Debra Matthews Remembered for Commitment to Schools and Community

Long time Hamilton County School Board Member Debra Matthews is remembered for standing up for what she believed in.

The 58 year old educator passed away early Sunday.

Her District 4 seat will be filled in a special November election.

Be it for her work for schools....

Hamilton Co. School Board Member Janice Boydston says, "It will be a tremendous loss to her school district."

...or the community...

Community Activist Quenston Coleman says, "Debra wasn't the kind of person that sought the spotlight."

District 4 Hamilton County School Board Member Debra Matthews is being remembered for giving it her all.

Coleman says, "Her impact in Chattanooga has been broad and she was not a worker in the black community only. She worked hard to build consensus across racial and ethnic lines."

The long time community activist pushed the Hope 6 Alton Park redevelopment project.

She was a known Environmental Justice Advocate who founded the Alton Park/Piney Woods Neighborhood Improvement Corporation and worked to develop the employment site Chattanooga Work Smart...

Coleman says, "To try to create job opportunities and a database of available applicants for employers for right here not just from Alton Park but from the entire Chattanooga Area."

During her 10 years on the Hamilton County School Board Matthews pushed for equity and worked to make sure the schools in her district were up to par...

Boydston says, "She wanted to make sure that the students in her district that they did not get short-changed and that they got the resources that they needed."

Boydston worked side-by-side with Matthews throughout her tenure on the School Board.

While she says they didn't always agree, they always left as friends. Boydston describes Matthews as strong willed and hard working.

And she says that commitment wasn't just for her constituents, "She didn't just concentrate on her district. She cared about the whole system."

Funeral services for Debra Matthews are scheduled for Thursday at noon at Second Missionary Baptist Church on East 3rd Street.

Visitation is Wednesday night between six and eight at Hardwick and Sons Funeral Home on MLK Boulevard.