Monroe Made: Pamela Hall Mathews
Pamela Hall Mathews, Tellico Plains High School Class of 1971
For Pamela Hall Mathews, being Monroe Made means knowing where you belong, remembering the people who believed in you, and finding ways to give back to the community that helped shape you.
A 1971 graduate of Tellico Plains High School, Pamela credits her Monroe County education with providing much more than academics. Growing up in a small school meant her teachers knew her and her family and genuinely wanted her to succeed.
Two teachers stand out in Pamela’s memories. Her fifth-grade teacher, Mamye Hawkins, set high expectations and challenged her students to go beyond their textbooks. Pamela still remembers memorizing and correctly identifying all 95 Tennessee counties on a map alongside her twin sister.
Austin Darnes, her typing teacher at Tellico Plains High School, also left a lasting impression. Pamela and her twin sister actually learned to type in Mr. Darnes’ adult education class after eighth grade so they could help at their parents’ business, Tellico Telephone Company. By the time Pamela took beginning typing as a junior, she could type 82 words per minute on a manual typewriter. Years later, when colleagues hired secretaries to handle computer work, Pamela proudly said, “I’m my own secretary—Mr. Darnes taught me to type!”
Pamela spent 46 years as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, including 41 years as a psychotherapist in private practice. Above all, however, she treasures her 49-year marriage to her husband, Kent, their three children and their spouses, and their six grandchildren. Although Pamela and Kent raised their family and built their careers in the Knoxville area, her heart remained in Tellico Plains. So, six years ago they returned to Tellico for Wagon Trains, square dances, family picnics, and church events.
Today, Pamela continues to serve the community as volunteer manager of the Charles Hall Museum and Museum Marketplace. The museum was built by her parents in 2003 and placed in a foundation as a gift to Tellico Plains and Monroe County. For the past 11 years, Pamela has worked to carry her father's dream forward.
The accomplishments she is most proud of come from her work preserving local history. She helped the Charles Hall Museum become a certified interpretive center on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Her years of research contributed to the historic trail route being marked throughout Monroe County and added to the National Park Service's National Trails map and website. She has also secured grants and donations that made improvements such as an outdoor stage, pavilion, and additional paved parking possible.
Pamela is quick to point out that she does not want the attention on her or her accomplishments. For her, the real reward is seeing the Charles Hall Museum thrive. Pamela’s story is a beautiful reminder that being Monroe Made means carrying the lessons of home with you wherever life leads and finding your way back to serve the community that helped make you who you are.