The Matthews ABC Book

Introduction


In 2003 a young boy, Gregory, 10-years-old at the time, had all the ambitions in the world.
Discovering that his Grandmother was an amazing artist sparked an idea in him. Using his great imagination and her artistic talents they collaborated to produced their very own alphabet book.
Upon completion, this project stowed away in a closet somewhere along with other childhood memories; it was then rediscovered 13 years later...
...and finally published. ​


About the Author-
Gregory is a student at Clay Spring Elementary in Apopka FL. At a young age he pretended to write books by copying them. At age 7, he wrote his first 5 page book, a Halloween story complete with a spook and ghosts. Gregory is a positive, high-spirited, articulate child. He enjoys playing all sports. If you ask him, baseball, football, basketball, golf and tennis are his favorites.
About the Illustrator-
In her youth, Jane Matthews had a dream of becoming an artist. Her high school yearbook notes that she plans to pursue a career in art. Throughout grade school
and high school Jane won numerous awards for her artwork. Her most memorable competition was a dress design contest at Gimbel’s Department Store, in which Jane won the dress of her choice. After graduating from high school she became a housewife and mother, leaving behind her dream of becoming an artist. At the age of 70, the dream was rekindled, thanks to the persistence of her 10-year-old grandson.

                                                       

Our Story

​Where: It All Began


In 2003 Gregory Matthews was 10-year-old boy. Upon discovering his 70-year-old grandmother, Jane Matthews, was an artist he developed a plan. Using their two talents, they produced this alphabet book. 

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​Where: Are They Now?
Gregory is now 23-years-old. He attended Alabama State University and Millsaps College, where he played both baseball and football. He earned his MBA at Millsaps College and is currently employed at Wells Fargo, and lives in Orlando, FL. He hasn’t lost his high-spirited positivity that he possessed at 10-years-old. If you were to ask him his favorite sport today, you’d be sure to get the same answer. ​

In her youth, Jane Matthews dreamed of one day having a career as an artist. That one day has come. At age 83, her first art work was finally published. Jane was born in 1933 in Pittsburgh, PA where she lived most of her life. In July of 2016 she moved to California to be closer to her daughter. She now lives in a retirement community near San Fransisco with her husband.