Thomas Stull Matney was born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 21, 1928. He moved to Texas when he was a child and stayed there for most of his education. He received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas in 1948. The following year, he received a Bachelor’s in Chemistry as well. He stayed at Trinity to get a Master’s in Biology in 1951.
While working on his thesis on bovine reproduction at the Southwest Research Foundation for Research and Education (now the Southwest Research Institute), he met Roy Mefford, Jr. who advised him to enlist as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. He worked at the Fort Derrick Biological Warfare Laboratories in Maryland; first as an Officer then as a Civilian Military Bacteriologist. In 1958, he returned to Texas to earn a PhD in Bacteriology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1958.
He joined MD Anderson in 1962, working in the biology department. He became the First Associate Dean for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Post retirement, he was a professor emeritus of genetics and environment science at MD Anderson.
He was married to Glenda Matney nee Oglesby until her death in 1990 and had three children with her. He remarried Nancy Lee Matney. He remained in Houston and was active in various charities and scientific/medical organizations. He died in Houston on November 28, 2010. Among his awards are the Thomas Stull Matney Professorship in Cancer Genetics and the Thomas Stull Matney Professorship in Environmental and Genetic Science.
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Thomas S. Matney Oral History Interview 1, September 27, 2007, Research Medical Library, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
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Oral history was edited by Javier Garza, Archivist, Spring 2011
Interview with Thomas S. Matney, PhD conducted by Lesley Williams Brunet on September 26, 2007.