The Beginning

In the 1930s, Minnesota natives Walter Matheny and Marguerite Hughes met at Hibbing Junior College. They earned Bachelor of Science degrees at different schools but both returned to Hibbing to teach. The couple married in 1936.

Chuck is born

Walter and Marguerite welcomed their son, Charles Hughes “Chuck” Matheny into the world. The birth was difficult, depriving Chuck of oxygen for several minutes and resulting in cerebral palsy, a neuro-muscular disease. The term ‘cerebral palsy’ had been recently coined by Dr. Winthrop Phelps.

Tribute to Chuckie – a school is born

Walter and Marguerite decided to start their own school. Walter later wrote:
“The more we discussed it, the more the idea grew […] that we ourselves should teach Chuck, and not only Chuck but other children like him. We could open a school for cerebral palsied children. We had the background for it, the personal involvement with it, and a deep concern for all such children.”

Plans for a new facility

The Walter D. Matheny School board of trustees authorized the purchase of a 38-acre parcel from Blairsden, an estate of the late NYC financier C. Ledyard Blair. The parcel was located at the top of a hill, and included the original stables and servant cottages. The Mathenys moved into one of the cottages, while Walter began a 3-year fundraising effort.

Groundbreaking

Together with the Board of Trustees, the Mathenys broke ground for construction of the school’s new Peapack facility, and on December 23, 1954, the children and staff moved in. The building was designed as a one-story 19,000-square-foot U-shaped structure, with living quarters for 50 children, a professional services wing, and a service wing. Four of the outbuildings from the original estate were renovated to accommodate 35 staff members. The dedication was held the following year.

Innovation in diagnosis & treatment

The new Evaluation and Planning Center of the Matheny School opened its doors.  The addition included therapy facilities with advanced equipment, student dorms, an enlarged cafeteria, 17 staff rooms, and 8 staff apartments. Corridors were widened to accommodate two-way wheel chair traffic, and non-slip flooring was installed for residents on crutches. A safe recreation area was installed in the courtyard space. An innovative program of holistic evaluation was implemented to determine patient treatment programs.

Significant Change

By 1970, the Matheny School was a source of significant pride for the Matheny family. The school provided both highly specialized education and intensive medical therapies to all of its students. The school’s provision of these essential healthcare services to its students qualified the facility as a “special hospital.” But Walter and Marguerite still weren’t satisfied. As the Matheny School approached its 25th Anniversary in December 1971, Walter began plans to turn his dream of building a high school for physically disabled students into a reality. At $2.6 million, the proposal was the school’s most ambitious expansion project yet.

Walter Passes

Walter Matheny passed away in June 1977 at the age of 66. After Walter’s death, the Bernardsville News ran a tribute, from which the following is taken:

“When he retired in 1975 as the guiding force behind one of the country’s first and foremost effective private school-hospitals for the youthful handicapped, Mr. Matheny was renowned among rehabilitation professionals around the country and even the world. But it was to the children who needed him and to whom he reached out with untiring generosity that he may well have meant the most… One after another, they say he was a “very special person,” someone “you could count on,” someone “who is always there.” The area around Peapack-Gladstone is filled with people who can tell stories of something Mr. Matheny did when they needed help… Michael Cooper, owner of the Gladstone Market, remembers that any child, not necessarily local, could go up to the school and Mr. Matheny would see them, find out their problem, and call in one of his consultants, free, to figure out what could be done. “You’ll never find another man like him. He was one in a million.”

Rehabilitation Engineering & Wheelchair Clinic

Since the beginning, Matheny’s rehabilitation technologies and wheelchair clinic services have worked together to address the mobility and positioning needs of children and adults with disabilities. Matheny residents, students, and clients from surrounding communities rely on Matheny’s expertise for customized seating, complex rehab wheelchairs, and other durable medical equipment options to ensure comfort, health, safety, and functionality.

Marguerite passes

Marguerite Matheny passed away in May 1988 at the age of 75. She and Walter had laid the foundation of an institution that was to grow beyond anything they could have imagined. Two years earlier, at the 40th birthday celebration of the Matheny School, she told guests, “We happened to be two people in the right place at the right time. There was nothing at the time for anyone but children with polio. We learned and we listened, and we surrounded ourselves with intelligent people, and it was easy.”

Arts Access

Dr. Gabor Barabas and his wife SuzAnne conceptualized the idea of an arts program tailored to the needs of disabled individuals. With the help of a $35,000 grant from the Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, The Arts Access program was launched to give patients the opportunity to fully express themselves artistically. The first Full Circle, a celebration of the program artists, was also held.

Adult Learning Center

The Adult Medical Day Program was initiated with the primary goal of maximizing each person’s independence and encouraging self-determination. It opened in Hillsborough in 1997.

Center for Medicine & Dentistry

The Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry (MCMD) opened to provide comprehensive medical services to the disabled population. The facility was specially designed to provide a wide range of services, including primary care, specialty care and rehabilitation services.

A promise fulfilled

December 2017, Charles H. “Chuck” Matheny, the beloved inspiration for and of Matheny, passes away.

“Mr. Matheny was and is a beacon of possibility and a model of excellence to which all our students, residents, patients, and clients can aspire to be. During his lifetime, Mr. Matheny finished high school, learned to drive, mowed all the lawns of Matheny’s main campus, and ran the soda machines. Mr. Matheny was far more than the sum of his accomplishments. He developed close relationships with all the staff and was interested in improving the lives of everyone within the Matheny Community.”-Kendell Sprott, MD, JD, CEO/President of Matheny

Matheny remains committed to improving the lives of disabled individuals.

Sotheby’s Auction House

The Arts Access program was invited to exhibit artwork at the renowned Sotheby’s Auction House. Four program artists displayed some of their work.

A Strategic Collaboration

An agreement with Children’s Specialized Hospital allows both organizations to share expertise, experience, and resources in an effort to improve access to high quality clinical care and education for those with disabilities throughout New Jersey.