42 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2026 Penny Matthews arrived on the scene at Ransom Everglades in 1988 and retired in 2020 after 32 years. Alumni remember her fondly, and she holds a special place in the hearts of members of the 1990 state championship team in girls’ volleyball. RE: You’ve had many positions. What were they? PM: Health and Physical Education Teacher, Interim Athletic Director, Class Advisor, Dean of the Ninth Grade and Annual Fund Representative. RE: Tell us about your coaching history. PM: I was Head Coach of Girls’ Volleyball 1988-2000, JV Girls’ Basketball Coach 1988-89, Head Softball Coach in 1989, Head Boys’ Volleyball Coach 1997-2005 and Assistant Girls’ Golf Coach 2012-14. RE: Where did you grow up? PM: I grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. I attended the Elmwood Franklin School and the Buffalo Seminary. My mother was director of nursing at the same hospital where my father was on the OB/GYN staff. As an only child, I remember hearing quite a bit about the practice of medicine and health care. I found it fascinating yet I knew I wanted to work in some capacity other than human health care. I was very fortunate to spend most of my summers and vacations on Crescent Beach, Port Erie and Muskoka in Ontario or in rural western New York on a dairy farm my family had as an investment. I will always be grateful for the urban, suburban and rural experiences I had as a young person. I believe the social lessons from the Junior League in the city, the carefree play at the lakes and the competition through the 4-H Club dairy cattle shows at the farm all contributed to my wide range of interests. I wanted to be a large animal veterinarian. The late 1960s was not a decade of support for non-traditional roles for women and without family support, I decided to pursue a career in education. Since I loved the outdoors, wanted to be active and enjoyed competition, I made the decision to focus my energy on learning how to help others develop their skills. I earned my undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and my MEd from Temple University. I am and always will be a team sports person. I appreciate those athletes who compete in individual or dual sports; however, I appreciate the larger team approach. I remember dreading the classes required for a PE degree – gymnastics, dance, archery and fencing, to name a few. The only one I loved was swimming. I can credit swimming and becoming a lifeguard and water safety instructor as the most valuable certifications I ever earned. I spent years as a college work-study student, lifeguarding and teaching swimming and eventually became the Director of Aquatics at Glassboro State. I played field REconnecting with Faculty Emerita Penny Matthews Veronica Alcorta ’96, Lisa Sayfie ’91, Penny Matthews and Catherine Balestra ’90
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