This past December Guilford College honored Public Safety Supervisor John Matthews’ hard work and consistent dedication to the community by awarding him Public Safety Officer of the Year.

“John Matthews is a great officer and great guy,” said Director of Public Safety Ron Stowe. “He has really good experience that he brings to Guilford.”

Matthews has been a member of the Guilford Public Safety staff for five years and has earned himself a well-respected reputation from both students and fellow Public Safety officers.

“He definitely takes his job seriously,” said sophomore Danny Hulburt. “He sympathizes with the students and has their best interest at heart.”

In addition to carrying out his required officer duties, he is also approachable and easy to talk to, providing students and faculty with a supportive and welcoming presence on campus.

“John is very good at what he does,” said Public Safety Officer Steve Armstrong. “He taught me a lot of what I know now. He’s one of the few that can handle anything that comes up by himself. He knows how and what to do in any situation that I’ve seen (develop).”

Like in the case of other officers that have won the award before him, Matthews’ dependability and commitment to the community is obvious.

“He’s a very good supervisor,” said Public Safety Officer David Gauldin, a previous award winner. “You can call him at any time. He’s good to work with and fun to kid with, but when it’s time to get down to business, it’s strictly business.”

Matthews, who currently works the 3–11 p.m. shift Wednesday through Sunday, is a natural at his job. Before coming to Guilford, he worked 20 years for the High Point Police Department as a park ranger.

Matthews’ around-the-clock devotion and passion for his work will not tire after achieving this award.

“My goal is to make sure people feel safe more than anything else,” said Matthews. “I talk to people and treat them with respect because I want to treat people the way I would want to be treated.”

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