The campus community is mourning the death of retired Vice Chancellor Richard E. Matheny, who led UC Davis fundraising, alumni relations, government and community relations, and communications from 1988 to 1997.

Matheny

Matheny, 72, died Sept. 7 at a retirement home in Seattle, of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He had been diagnosed with the disease while working at UC Davis.

“Rich Matheny was absolutely instrumental in the early formation of the office of University Relations,” said Chancellor Emeritus Larry N. Vanderhoef, who was provost and executive vice chancellor when Matheny came to UC Davis and would become chancellor in 1994.

“His gentle demeanor hid, for some, his well-studied, straight-ahead intentions of where the campus was headed, and what University Relations’ role had to be in that journey,” Vanderhoef said. “He made a real difference at UC Davis.”

Matheny was an administrator at Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., from 1977 to 1985, and had been UC Irvine’s chief development officer for three years when Chancellor Ted Hullar tapped him to come to UC Davis.

During Matheny’s 10 years as the head of University Relations, private support for the campus rose 136 percent, from $25.1 million to $59.4 million per year; the campus’s endowment grew from $63.2 million to $174.4 million; and the number of endowed chairs jumped from five to 35.

Also, as alumni association membership swelled from 14,000 to 22,060, the university expanded its efforts to enlist alumni as advocates for UC Davis.

Under his leadership in communications, UC Davis’ academic strengths became better known, enhancing the university’s national reputation. And, thanks to his local outreach, UC Davis became more visible and more engaged in the Sacramento region — forging partnerships, for example, with the city of Davis and private developers to build a downtown neighborhood (Aggie Village) and adjacent shopping center (Davis Commons) on university land.

Before the building of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, the university offered cultural programs through UC Davis Presents — and it was part of Matheny’s portfolio in University Relations. During his tenure, UC Davis Presents saw substantial growth in attendance at performances and lectures, and started sending world-class performers to local schools and bringing children to the campus for matinees.

He received the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s District VII Tribute Award for Professional Achievement in 1989, and two years later he received a Fulbright Fellowship for study in the United Kingdom.

Matheny, a native of Spokane, Wash., spent most of his retirement years in Port Ludlow, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Family and friends recalled his passion for fishing. “He was in his element with pole in hand,” read his obituary in The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review. “He would have fished in a bucket if convinced there were fish in it.”

He graduated from Spokane’s John R. Rogers High School and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame. He held two degrees in public administration, a bachelor’s from Washington State University and a master’s from the University of Southern California; and a doctorate in educational leadership from Gonzaga University, Spokane.

He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Ann, also of Seattle; children Richelle Harget of Spokane and Dwight Matheny of Carnation, Wash.; a sister, Donna L. Deeble of Spokane; and five grandchildren.

A service took place at Seattle First Presbyterian Church. Remembrances may be directed to the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation, 400 Mercer St., No. 504, Seattle, WA 98109.