1980s
Elizabeth Matthews K'80
Elizabeth Matthews K'80, a film location manager, was born on August 12, 1958, in Tracy, CA. A daughter of Thomas F., a newspaper publisher, and Nancy Anderson Matthews, she grew up in Tracy and prepared for college at Katherine Branson School in Marin Country. "Liz" Matthews came East to Kirkland College in 1976 and remained on the Hill for a year. She subsequently transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle, where she majored in urban geography, served as president of the Panhellenic Association, and obtained her bachelor's degree in 1981.
Following graduation, Liz Matthews became a certified travel agent and worked for two years for a travel agency while studying film production at the University of California, Los Angeles, at night. Thereafter she pursued a successful career in the film industry, serving over the next 18 years as location manager for numerous feature films, including Chaplin, Ed Wood, Road to Wellville, Ghosts of Mississippi, and Nutty Professor. She became prominent in the field and the winner in 2006 of the Location Manager of the Year award from the Location Guild of America.
While in Los Angeles, Liz Matthews was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church and a volunteer in its homeless assistance program. She also did volunteer work for the Amanda Foundation, assisting with its animal rescue program. Among her favorite leisure-time activities were golf, cooking, and viewing vintage movies.
In 1995, while involved in the filming of Last Dance in Nashville, TN, Elizabeth Matthews grew enchanted with that city and thought of eventually moving there. She did so in 2007. Long ill, she died at her home in Nashville on June 15, 2009. In addition to her parents, she is survived by a brother, Robert Matthews, and a sister Jody Adair.
James Christopher Spanos, Jr. '85
James Christopher Spanos, Jr. '85, an attorney-at-law, was born on January 20, 1962, in Manchester, NH. A son of James C., a restaurant proprietor, and Mary Lazous Spanos, a secretary, he grew up in a family of Greek heritage, and Greek became his first language as a child. He prepared for college at Phillips Andover Academy and matriculated at Hamilton from Dracut, MA, in 1981. While on the Hill he joined Theta Delta Chi and later served as its recording secretary. He also played intramural football, hockey, and softball. Long interested in preparing for a career in the law, he majored in government, with emphasis on comparative political studies, and minored in English.
Following his graduation in 1985, Jim Spanos was employed as an accounts clerk by Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City and by Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. in Albany. He subsequently settled permanently in his hometown of Dracut and enrolled at Suffolk University Law School in nearby Boston, where he obtained his J.D. degree in 1990. Previously a law clerk for the firm of Lubin & Meyer in Boston, he was until his death an associate in the law offices of Emmanuel N. Papanickolas in Peabody, MA.
Jim Spanos, who was particularly fond of the outdoors since boyhood, devoted much of his free time to skiing. He was president of the Melrose Hickory Hawks Ski Club in Glenn, NH, at the time of his death. He also cherished the time he spent with family members, especially his many cousins, at their summer home in that state.
With great strength and perseverance, James C. Spanos waged a six-year battle with cancer before succumbing to the disease on February 6, 2009, while hospitalized in Boston. He was 47 years old. Surviving him are a sister, Andrea Allison, and a brother, Christopher J. Spanos, as well as two nieces and a nephew.
