Matthew wore a Utah T-shirt to the Utah Valley Magazine photo shoot, but he’s also a history professor at BYU, an author, founding member and co-director of Historians Against Slavery, and UPEP volunteer. Heady stuff? Let’s break it down. Matthew earned his PhD in history from the University of Maryland in 2002 and started teaching history at BYU in 2003. He is the author of “Slavery and Politics in the Early American Republic” (2006) and “Apostle of Union: A Political Biography of Edward Everett” (2016) as well as co-editing several other books. But Matthew is making history himself with his education work in prisons. The University of Utah Prison Education Project provides education for inmates, and Matthew says he makes it a point to not know why they became incarcerated — he simply wants to meet them where they are and add to their knowledge. Matthew has been married for 31 years and has three daughters.
Roll the Dice My biggest surprise has been learning that being a college professor does not have to mean isolation to “the ivory tower.”
Monopoly on Humor You wanna know what makes me laugh? Things that I find funny. That sort of answer aggravates my kids who want me to name a genre or something, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Catchphrase “Oh for crying outloud!”
Hungry Hippos My favorite local place to eat is Bombay House in Provo. Their lamb coconut kurma or saag paneer are my go-tos.
Game On Tough one, but I’d have to say my favorite game is “Landslide.” It is old-school, very obscure, takes a while (but not forever like Risk), and it gives you plenty of opportunities for dirty tricks.
Game of Life A harried, if mostly enjoyable, day on campus includes a mix of teaching, research, and service to various entities. On the weekends? None of that work stuff!