The Flagler Museum is pleased to announce that its trustees have recently elected Mrs. Kelly Matthews Hopkins to be the third President of the Flagler Museum, following her father, George G. Matthews who has served as the Museum’s President for the past 42 years, following his mother, Jean Flagler Matthews after her death in 1979. It was Mrs. Matthews, granddaughter of Henry M. Flagler, legendary Florida developer and builder of Whitehall, who founded the Museum in 1959 and served as President for its first 20 years.

In addition to President, George Matthews has also served the Museum as a trustee for the past 63 years, an extraordinary long combined tenure, quite probably unmatched among the museums of the world. He plans to continue his service as a trustee of the Museum.

During his long tenure as President, he oversaw the major restoration of the Museum, completed under the outstanding direction of the Museum’s then Executive Director, John Blades. This process involved over two dozen capital projects, the Museum’s designation as a National Historic Landmark, its accreditation of and reaccreditations by the American Alliance of Museums, and the award of the prestigious Ross Merrill Award for conservation. Together these made the Flagler Museum only the fourth institution in the nation to receive all four of these forms of national recognition.

Among the many new programs, exhibitions and additions to the Museum that Mr. Matthews was responsible for was his popular annual Blue Grass concert series held in the Museum’s Flagler Kenan Pavilion. Always sold out, the Blue Grass concerts have become a welcome and innovative addition to the Palm Beach music scene.

Mrs. Hopkins has served for 23 years as a Trustee of the Flagler Museum and was the Founder of its Whitehall Society. She is a Hull Fellow, Class of 2013, through the South Eastern Council of Foundations. She also serves as a trustee of the Relgalf Charitable Foundation, the Roaring Gap Foundation, and served two terms on the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mrs. Hopkins received her B.A. in education from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a Master of Science in organizational development from McColl School of Business at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was an elementary school teacher in the Charlotte Mecklenburg school system for six years.

Mrs. Hopkins is a Palm Beach native. She is married to Rick Hopkins, also a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Hopkins have two teenage children and spend their time in Charlotte, North Carolina and Palm Beach.

About The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

When it was completed in 1902, Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s Gilded Age estate in Palm Beach, was hailed by the New York Herald as “more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.” Today, Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as the Flagler Museum, featuring changing exhibitions and special programs. The Museum is located at One Whitehall Way, Palm Beach, FL 33480. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 12 to 5 pm. For more information, call (561) 655-2833 or visit www.flaglermuseum.us.

Photo Credit: The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

Date Posted: March 11, 2022