Dr. Alva Marian Matherly Clutts

Dr. Alva Marian Matherly Clutts was born in Central City, Kentucky to Alvin and Mary Ruth (nee Hinton) Matherly. She attended grade school, middle school and high school in Kentucky graduating from Central City High School. She attended Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green) graduating with a Bachelor in History as a member of the Class of 1945. During her time at WKU, Dr. Clutts served as the editor of the College Heights Herald. She also attended The University of Kentucky (Lexington) graduating with a Master in Business Administration, The University of Kentucky Law School and The University of Texas at Austin where she earned a Ph.D. in Economics and Statistics.

Dr. Clutts was the first woman to have top secret clearance at Carswell Airforce Base in Ft. Worth, Texas. She was the first female comptroller of Texas Instruments in Dallas. She was also an Associate Professor in The Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University – Dallas – for 14 years, participating as a key partner in developing “The Core Curriculum” course of study for SMU. Dr. Clutts was a member of University Park United Methodist Church serving a term as the Chairperson of the Administrative Board of UPUMC. She was also an active member of several organizations including: Kappa Delta Sorority, Dallas Woman’s Club, Dallas Opera Guild, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Arboretum, the Architects Wives Club, the First Friday Club, and Wesley Rankin Community Center. She was a distinguished alumna of Western Kentucky University joining the 1995 class for a special time of recognition and honor. She enjoyed reading, teaching, learning, classical music, and travel. But mostly she loved people.

Dr. Clutts carried a fondness for Kentucky, the people, the places, and the friendships she made during her life there as a child and young woman. She married a native Kentuckian, James A. Clutts, in 1948 before moving to Texas and raising three children. She returned to Kentucky on many occasions to see family and share vacation time with her husband and children. Her cherished memories of the time and people there furthered an ongoing interest in lifelong learning and opportunities particularly for those at Western Kentucky University.

Today her daughter, Mary Alva Clutts, is choosing to honor Dr. Clutts and the love of all things Western Kentucky University through the establishment of the Dr. Alva M. Clutts Scholarship Fund. She hopes that the idea of learning, research, and nurturing a love for Kentucky and all it has to offer will be shared with student recipients throughout the duration of this scholarship.