Marty Matijasich ’71
When the starting goalie quit the Club Ice Hockey team, Marty Matijasich ’71 told the captains that he played goalie in high school. So, he stood between the pipes against Rutgers and earned a shutout. Following the game, someone hailed him as Kid Zero for letting no pucks by.
The nickname stuck. Kid Zero seems to be the story of Matijasich’s life, the humble player from the fourth line who is serenaded by serendipity in a big moment. Today, he is coming through again in big moments for international students in need.
His story begins in Reading, Pa., where he grew up in a second-generation working-class family with a father who was an Iwo Jima veteran and drove truck and a mother who was the backbone of the home.
As a kid, Matijasich worked a variety of jobs and gave his check to his mom who saved every cent, knowing he’d need it later in life. Matijasich had ambitions. His principal had a master’s degree from Lehigh and spoke highly about the university. So Matijasich decided to visit Bethlehem to interview and tour.
When he saw campus, his mouth dropped open. It was beyond anything he’d seen or expected. Kid Zero got in. He got help from the money his mother had saved, a Pennsylvania Higher Education Award, and ROTC.
After a freshman year that was fun (’71 for fun!), Matijasich buckled down and found a good balance, earning the grades while still making good memories in Thornburg and as a member of Pi Lambda Phi.
Kid Zero got his next big break before graduation. He was sworn into the Army during his senior year, and Vietnam looked to be in his future. It prompted him to delay his marriage, not wanting to marry his high school sweetheart, Joann, if he was headed off to war.
In January, just months before graduation, he drove to Fort Dix for his enlistment physical … and failed to pass the hearing test. With an honorable discharge in hand, his life moved in a different direction. The wedding got scheduled. He interviewed for jobs. He finished out his senior year with less worry for the future.
Life then began in earnest… a marriage, three daughters, and a home back in dear old Reading. He had a 20-year career at General Public Utilities and then 10 years at Southern Company. For his final stretch, he was co-owner of his own energy trading LLC: Highlands Energy Group.
Amid the work, Matijasich focused on family and philanthropy. At times, the two even intersected, like the time he helped build a playground as a member of the Jaycees.
“I’m a boiler room man,” he says. “I do stuff to build and fix what’s needed. As Lehigh has started saying, we are makers.”
When work and family life slowed a bit, Matijasich began to form a new relationship with Lehigh. He helped chair his 50th reunion and became president of his class.
As he reflected on the incredible life that Lehigh helped create for him, he and Joann wanted to give back. Kid Zero struck again. He has challenged others to support Lehigh through philanthropy, especially planned gifts like bequests or charitable gift annuities (CGA).
But Matijasich’s philanthropy became more targeted when the war in Ukraine began. With his family from Slovenia and Joann’s from Ukraine, watching those events unfold reminded them of their honored heritage and deep ties to family. They knew Lehigh students from Ukraine, or from any other country navigating unrest or instability, would face untold worries and costs – to travel back, aid family, and save a homeland.
The Matijasich family made a gift to help all international students in need of emergency funds. To fulfill this gift, they combined their preferred giving vehicles by creating a one-time CGA from their IRA.
Marty saw this as an optimal way to provide for international students and maintain the benefits they have come to enjoy. By supporting the International Student Assistance Fund, the gift was further maximized, as it was eligible for matching funds made possible by the Iacocca Family Foundation.
“I have always admired Lee Iacocca ’45,” says Matijasich. “I loved the cars he made, the corporate ranks he climbed, his humble beginnings, and his philanthropy to Lehigh. While I am no Iacocca, I could be Kid Zero.”
