Boy Scouts of America honors four Matthews brothers

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) — The local council of Boys Scouts of America, has broken with tradition to honor not one, nor two but four people with its annual Distinguished Citizen Award.

The Baden-Powell Council recognized the Matthews brothers for their contributions to our community. Jim, Doug, John and Rob were all roasted at a banquet at the Holiday Inn on Wednesday night. Building on their father Jim’s successful business legacy, the brothers continue to operate a string of successful auto dealerships, run a local technology group and are involved in local real estate development, including the transformation of the Oakdale Commons.

They all say they’re proud to call Greater Binghamton home.

“We’ve been raised here, we’ve all traveled different places, we’ve always come back. And it’s just such a great community to be a part of always,” John said.

“It’s great to invest in our community. Because no matter what business or what industry we’ve ever been involved with, it was always headquartered here in Broome County. That’s really important to us,” Dough added.

Their father Jim, Senior, founded Matthews Auto and brought the Broome Dusters hockey team to Binghamton in the early 70’s. He received the award in 1993 and passed away in 2011.

The brothers say he taught them the importance of family, treating their team like family and giving back to the community.

• Who is the mysterious 19th District candidate?
• Shooting on Schubert Street sends one to hospital for head wound
• Rollover crash leads to fire rescue in Hancock
• Mets two-way prospect Nolan McLean promoted to Double-A Binghamton
• Activists plan rally to demand firing of BPD officer

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - NewsChannel 34.