Carolyn Burrows Matalene

March 28, 1941-Sept. 27, 2026

Carolyn Burrows Matalene, wife of Henry William Matalene, III and mother of Daphne Virginia Matalene, died in Greenport, Sunday, Sept. 27, at the age of 85.

A native of Warren, Ill., Carolyn was a graduate of Northwestern University, with graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where she and Bill met. They were classmates as graduate students in English at Penn, and moved to South Carolina after they married on July 12, 1969. Carolyn initially taught at South Carolina State College and Benedict College—both HBCUs—before the University of South Carolina recognized her extraordinary gifts and offered her a job alongside Bill in the English department. During her tenure at USC, she became director of the university’s writing programs, and earned a distinguished national reputation.

Upon her retirement in 2002, she and Bill moved to Charleston, SC, spending summers on Long Island’s picturesque North Fork. Outside the classroom, Carolyn was an accomplished sailor, cruising not just the east coast but also the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and even the South Pacific. An enthusiastic globetrotter, she visited all seven continents, and had to have extra pages bound into her passport.

Her legacy extends beyond her cherished family to legions of Gamecocks, some of whom have gone on to become journalists, attorneys, and even Grammy-winning recording artists.

The family was assisted by Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her honor to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

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