Dan Matthews, Creator of the 9/11 Essay Competition

The “Reflections of 9/11” High School Essay Competition arose from the incredible creativity of Dan Matthews, Decorated Lt. Col Ret. of the US Airforce. Dan served in the Viet Nam and the Gulf wars. After this, he was a commercial airlines pilot and instructor for 30 years. Dan concieved the idea of a ‘Student Essay Competition.’ Again this year, 2026, Dan is working with the 42 public and private high schools in Snohomish County to identify the Winners of this year’s 9/11 Essay Competition. They will be introduced on stage at our 9/11 Event and the Winning Essay’s will again be placed in the Historic Hartley Mansion for viewing soon afterwards.