A Life in Motion

After a lifetime of movement, service, and curiosity, Mike Matthews remains what he has always been—a man who follows his interests with full heart and steady purpose—whether on a bike, a sailboat, a snowy mountain, or a field half a world away. 

Most teenagers dream of their first car. At 17, while his friends were buying used sedans and hand-me-down hatchbacks, Matthews was saving every dollar he earned washing dishes—not for a car, but for a bike. A really good bike. 

He’s 72 now, and that early instinct has never left him. Matthews still rides every week, logging a steady 100 miles with the same joy. And those weekly miles are only the warm-up. He has pedaled the 2,700-mile “Great Divide” from Banff, Canada to Antelope Wells on the Mexican border. He’s ridden the six-day, 600-mile “Tour de Trees” through the mountains of Oregon. He has cycled past the lakes of Chile, along volcanic valleys in Northern Patagonia, and through landscapes so remote and breathtaking that readers may now need to stretch their legs just imagining these challenging bike rides. 

Loving the Outdoors

When he’s not on two wheels, Matthews is often on the water. Sailing has carried him up and down the East Coast from Bar Harbor, Maine to Palm Beach, Florida, and far beyond—to Ireland, Belize, Alaska, and both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Wherever there is wind and water, Mike finds his way. 

For the past two decades, he and his wife Pam have spent their winters in Park City, Utah, where life on the mountain has become a cherished rhythm. Their children, Nathaniel and Nora, and grandchildren—Walter, Ellis, and Oona—flock to Utah for visits filled with snow, laughter, and the kind of memories that anchor a family. 

The Matthews' love story began 30 years ago at a very “artsy” New York City party where everyone was either an actor, singer, filmmaker, or artist. Matthews asked her, “What’s your act?” Pam answered, “I’m not an actor; I’m a forensic microbiologist.” Matthews grinned and replied, “I’m not an actor either. I’m an agronomist: weed science.” It was, in its quirky way, a perfect beginning. 

Matthews' advanced degrees in agronomy and weed science led to a career devoted to promoting safe and effective use of herbicides. He worked for the Federal Department of Agriculture before founding his own company, For-Shore, in Monmouth County. His expertise has taken him far beyond New Jersey. Matthews has done volunteer work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, and Uganda with Catholic Relief Services and other organizations. He brought integrated pest management concepts to subsistence and small shareholder farmers. In Uganda, he worked in HIV positive villages where he taught subsistence farming and integrated pest management to small shareholder farmers and HIV farmers—encouraging the practice of sustainable agriculture. 

Closer to home, Matthews has served as a member and former Chair of the Monmouth County Agricultural Development Board, a key partner in New Jersey’s farmland preservation and right-to-farm efforts. And for 20, he has been co-chair of the Sea Girt 5K, a race that has become a beloved community tradition. He is also a founding and active member of the Sea Girt Conservancy, where members find his knowledge of native plants and help with Conservancy projects invaluable. 

As Matthews believes, “No matter what, life will be an adventure...you might as well live it that way. “