Ginnie Mattern

Ginnie Mattern: A ‘force of nature’ with a ‘vital, direct impact on our lives as students’

It is said that behind every great man is a great woman. While not coined in reference to Virginia K. Mattern, it may as well have been. Virginia “Ginnie” Mattern was the “great force” behind W. Gray Mattern for 12 of his 16 years as Head of School at Wilbraham Academy and throughout their lives together. Ginnie died peacefully at home in Stamford, Connecticut, on May 16, 2021 after a brief illness. She was 88.

“Mrs. Mattern was a force of nature,” William E. “Wilber” James ’64W said. “She was an equal partner of our beloved headmaster W. Gray Mattern with whom she was deeply in love. Mrs. Mattern had a vital, direct impact on our lives as students at Wilbraham Academy and after graduation. They were both dedicated to all aspects of our education in and outside of the classroom.”

A product of independent schools (Emma Willard School and Wellesley College) herself, Ginnie met Gray at the wedding of a mutual acquaintance a few years after he took over at Wilbraham Academy. The story goes that during their courtship, Gray accumulated so many speeding tickets in Connecticut that he was banned from driving there. To see Ginnie in New York City, he resorted to crossing Massachusetts to the New York border and then heading south. They were married in 1959.

Richard “Dick” Goldman, former Assistant Head, has fond memories of Ginnie when she arrived. “She was quite young when she got to Wilbraham, was newly married, and I think it took her some time to figure out her part in all of it,” he said.

Ginnie differed from Gray in a few key ways. “She was a very outspoken person, always was. Sometimes it got her into hot water with the other faculty wives, but she balanced Gray in this regard.”

Another difference was her passion for sports. A star at basketball and tennis in college, Ginnie would often be seen and heard on the sidelines loudly cheering on the Wilbraham team. One particular example of her athletic ability came when she challenged basketball coach Bernie Crick to a best-of-25 free throw competition and made every single shot.

Students found her warm, but also tough and no nonsense. “You didn’t mess with Mrs. Mattern,” Mr. James said. “She got along with everyone, but she didn’t like phonies. She wanted you to be honest and direct with her.”

Mr. James was one of the students who occasionally babysat the Mattern children, all born during Ginnie’s time at the Academy. As Mr. James recalls: “Mr. Mattern asked if I would be interested in babysitting for his daughter. I said ‘Sure.’ I’d never babysat in my life. Mr. Mattern told me to go interview with ‘the boss,’ Mrs. Mattern. She was an imposing lady. She interviewed me and gave me some instructions for looking after Heather and said she’d be gone for about an hour. I had some change in my pocket, and I put it on the floor where Heather was laying and she picked up a penny and ate it! I had an emergency number to call and when I reached Mrs. Mattern she said calmly, ‘Oh don’t worry about it, Billy. I’ll look for it tomorrow.’”

The Matterns left Wilbraham in 1971 and lived in Surrey, England, for 17 years while Gray was director of the European Council of International Schools. They returned to the U.S. and settled in North Stamford, Connecticut, spending summers at their home in Chappaquiddick on Martha’s Vineyard. During this time, Ginnie competed in tennis tournaments and developed a passion for fishing. She became interested in southwestern pottery, later donating her collection to the Denver Art Museum.

Throughout her life she nurtured friendships made with faculty and former students, attending alumni events and reunions whenever she could.

“We would see her and Gray in New York and get together; always stayed in touch” Mr. James said. Mr. Goldman agreed, saying “we’d meet them for dinner along with Peter (Mr. Peter Lincoln ’55W) and it was always a good time.”

When Gray died in 1997, Ginnie donated a signature piece of sculpture to the British Art Museum at Yale in his memory, and she funded the W. Gray Mattern Endowment Fund at the Academy to support professional development opportunities for faculty.

“She was a loyal friend throughout her life,” Mr. James said. “I never took our friendship for granted. Even approaching my 75th birthday— on one of our last conversations—I knew that if I stepped out of line, she would correct me. I did, and she did. Virginia and Gray Mattern were pillars in our lives as young men, and I am forever grateful to them for their mentorship and helping us boys become men.”

• Ginnie Mattern and husband W. Gray Mattern in 1959.