By Jeff Wilson
Dr. Clay DeMattei, a general surgeon, wanted to give back to the people who supported his medical practice over the years. That is why he and his wife established the Dr. Clay and Leticia Soria DeMattei Scholarship Endowment Fund, which benefits students who come to SIU from Marion, Crab Orchard, and Goreville.
“Those are the main towns where my patients have come from,” Dr. DeMattei said. “I wanted to give back to the communities that have given to me.”
The donation comes in the form of a $1 million estate gift that will support students from those areas who major in art history or enter the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in science from Southern in 1978, Dr. DeMattei attended medical school at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, graduating in 1981, and then Baylor College of Medicine for his surgical residency. He has practiced in Southern Illinois for decades.
“The university had a very good science department,” he said. “I was more than prepared for medical school when I left SIU. The science department is doing well, as shown by the school’s recent designation as R1.”
In February, Southern was named as a Research 1 (R1) university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It is one of only three public universities in Illinois with that designation, and it is the only one within 100 miles of Carbondale. More recently, SIU was also included in Carnegie’s list of Opportunity Colleges and Universities, making it one of only 21 institutions in the nation to earn both recognitions.
Dr. DeMattei’s parents, Clarence and Mary DeMattei, both graduated from SIU’s School of Education in the 1950s. Both were highly respected educators in the region, and his father was a well-known coach at Marion High School.
When choosing a college, medical school was not even on Dr. DeMattei’s mind. As a pole vaulter, he was interested in the Saluki Track & Field team.
“At the time, SIU had a top 10 track program, and they were recruiting local and afar,” he said. “They had just gotten a top-tier pole vault coach, Jan Johnson. He was an Olympian, who finished third in the Munich Olympics.”
A four-year letter winner at Southern, Dr. DeMattei participated in the NCAA Track and Field Championships in 1977. He was named SIU’s top male scholar athlete in 1978 and earned Missouri Valley Conference Scholar Athlete honors on several occasions.
The DeMatteis hope their gift eases the financial burden on the local families who send their children to SIU as the university looks to keep enrollment rising.
“It would be nice to have 15,000 students on campus,” Dr. DeMattei said. “That would do wonders for the people in those areas.”
To learn more about estate planning through the SIU Foundation, visit siufgiving.org or contact Michael Moore at michaelmo@foundation.siu.edu.