RE Log - Fall 2021

FALL 2021 Ransom Everglades LOG 73 Important Alumni Links Visit for updated information RE Alumni Webpage: www.ransomeverglades.org/alumni REconnect: www.realumniconnect.org Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/ ransomevergladesalumni Instagram: www.instagram.com/ ransomevergladesalumni LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups/59316 Submit Class Notes for Spring 2022 at: bit.ly/2KX4qX6 Caroline Mathis (Virginia Caroline Thomas Mathis) passed away peacefully on May 3, 2021, surrounded by her family. She was a faculty member in the science department at Ransom Everglades School for 23 years until her retirement in 2007. Caroline taught AP Physics, physics and chemistry. Her daughters, Jennifer Mathis Parks ’88 and Kimberly Mathis ’91 , are alumni of Ransom Everglades. “Caroline was a very good teacher,” recalled Barbara Lester, who was the Science Department Chair who worked with Caroline at Ransom Everglades. “She was adept at explaining things to students, and able to describe scientific concepts in a way they could understand. She always found the right level for them, never presenting material that was too hard or too easy.” She was born on August 25, 1939, to the Rev. Willard Gillreth Thomas and Virginia Caroline (Hart) Thomas in Wadesboro, North Carolina. She moved to Mount Holly in 1944, then to Asheville in 1949. She loved her mountains. Caroline graduated with high honors with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Agnes Scott College. She earned a Master of Science in physical chemistry, supported by a National Science Foundation Fellowship, from Emory University. Her research focused on nuclear mag- netic resonance. In 1963, she married Dr. Roswell Earl Mathis, Jr. In 1965, they settled in Miami, where her husband established a dental practice in Coral Gables. She worked as a phar- maceutical research chemist at the University of Miami School of Medicine performing cancer research. Caroline dedicated the next chapter of her life to raising her four chil- dren: Rock, Allyson, Jennifer and Kimberly. Highlights of those years included many family trips; supporting her children in a wide variety of sports, especially at Palmer Trinity and Ransom Everglades; and instilling in them a core set of values which she embodied every day. In 2011, after her husband’s death, Caroline lived with Jennifer in Cypress, Tex., and also spent time with Rock on St. Simons Island, Ga. She loved attending her grand- children’s events. Beyond her family and science, she loved sports — especially Rice University baseball and football. She also loved orchids, hummingbirds, the smell of lavender, tea, Scotland, Miami and talking with her children. Caroline is survived by her children, three grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and her sister.