Title: View from the Chair

Author: Bob Schmidt

Date: 01 November 2019 17:46:27 +00:00 or Fri, 01 November 2019 17:46:27 +00:00

Summary: Bob Schmidt, chair@accu.org

Body: 

In Memoriam

Hubert Matthews
1961 – 2019

On Friday, 20 September 2019 Kevlin Henney posted the following on accu-general [1]:

It is with great sadness that I pass on the news that Hubert Matthews passed away this week.

Whether you knew him as a voice on this list or in person at conferences, on courses or socially, you will know him to have been someone of exceptional insight and enthusiasm, generous with his time, whether ready with an answer or ready to explore and find an answer.

ACCU and, indeed, the world will be a poorer place without him. I hope we are able to kindle that spirit of generosity and enthusiasm; it is now ours to pass on.

In a subsequent post [2] Kevlin shared

[…] I have learned from a relative that it seems Hubert passed away in his sleep.

This makes his loss no less shocking, but I am thankful that his passing was peaceful.

Hubert was found peacefully in bed at home. An inquest was opened but a cause of death could not be determined, and has been recorded as being by natural causes. His funeral service is scheduled for 14 October 2019 at the Oxford Crematorium in Headington.

Hubert served as Chair of ACCU for two years, from April 2010 to April 2012. He reluctantly took over as Chair during a period of instability in the organization; in his two years he reversed the trend of financial losses. Hubert was also responsible for negotiating our current relationship with Archer-Yates Associates, the company that runs our conferences.

Hubert was a familiar face at ACCU conferences and at local group meetings in Oxford and London, where he spoke on a wide range of C++ issues: Optimising a Small Real-World C++ Application; The C++ Type System is Your Friend; C++ Concepts for Developers; among others.

Hubert received a D. Phil. in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford in 1987. He served as Technical Director for several companies after finishing his studies. Hubert also was the Director at Oxyware, a small company he founded that provided consultancy and training services to software development companies. He was associated with NDC Conferences and ProgramUtvikling, where his biography [3] includes:

Hubert lives in Oxford and in his abundant spare time he likes to pretend that he coaches rowing, dances salsa, dabbles with martial arts and drives too fast.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know Hubert as well as some of you – separated as we were by large swathes of geography, my opportunities to interact with him were limited. I first met Hubert at my first ACCU conference, in Oxford in 2011. He was one of the first to welcome me to the organization. Since that first conference I have always looked forward to seeing him and catching up.

I attended his class at the April 2019 conference, and after the class I talked with Hubert and told him I was envious of his stage presence and ease at public speaking. Hubert told me that it was due in part to his being trained as an opera singer. In the encomiums on ACCU General, several members reported being regaled with samples of his singing.

Hubert was friendly and funny; kind and generous; talented and wise.

Hubert is survived by his mother, Joanna; brothers Charles and Roddy; nephews George and Olley; and nieces Heley and Hattie.

Rest in peace, Hubert. You will be missed.

The members of ACCU extend our deepest condolences to Hubert’s family.

My thanks to Hubert’s nephew, George Matthews, for providing details on Hubert’s family.

My thanks also to Henriette Motzfeldt and NDC Conferences AS for permission to use the photo.

Links

[1] Kevlin Henney email and thread (requires login): https://lists.accu.org/mailman/private/accu-general/2019-September/054891.html

[2] Kevlin Henney email (requires login): https://lists.accu.org/mailman/private/accu-general/2019-September/054932.html

[3] ProgramUtvikling: https://programutvikling.no/en/instructor/hubert-matthews/ [Web Editor's Note: This link is broken.]

Notes: 

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