Matzko, John 1946–

(John Austin Matzko)

PERSONAL: Born September 18, 1946, in Audubon, NJ; son of John Frank (a meat cutter) and Evelyn (a homemaker; maiden name, Austin) Matzko; married Rachel Grace Smith (a teacher); children: Austin Joel. Education: Bob Jones University, B.A. (cum laude), 1968; University of Cincinnati, M.A., 1972; University of Virginia, Ph.D., 1984. Politics: Republican. Religion: Free Presbyterian.

ADDRESSES: Home—17 Profs Pl., Greenville, SC 29609-5106. Office—Division of Social Science, Box 34561, Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC 29614. E-mail—jmatzko@bju.edu.

CAREER: Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC, faculty member, 1971–74, 1978–, chair of Division of Social Science, 1998–. Ash Lawn (home of James Monroe), tour guide, 1977–78; Arlington House: Robert E. Lee Memorial, park ranger, summers, 1986, 1987, 1990; Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, museum aide, summers, 1994–96; Homestead National Monument, park ranger, summer, 1999, historian, summers, 2000–01. Military service: U.S. Army, Honor Guard, 1969–70.

WRITINGS:

Reconstructing Fort Union, University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: John Matzko told CA: "I consider myself a teacher rather than a writer, and I would not have written the Fort Union book had it not been for circumstances that put me at the site of a story I believed I was well qualified to tell. Reconstructing Fort Union is the account of a little-known national historic site in Williston, North Dakota, a remote part of the country, but I tried to write its history in a style that was as lucid and jargon-free as possible. Writing means rewriting, and I did a lot of that. Although I always have some sort of writing project in progress, I hope I'll experience another moment of inspiration like the one that struck me near the western border of North Dakota on June 22, 1994."