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NORTH PORT (SNN TV) – The City of North Port shares news of the loss of “Mr. North Port.”

Gene Matthews passed away at the age of 87.

Matthews moved to North Port in 1972 when only about 1,200 people lived there, according to the Herald-Tribune.

He served on both the Sarasota County School Board and County Commission.

Matthews and former North Port City Commissioner Joan Morgan were instrumental in starting recreational leagues in the area. Matthews identified the land for the North Port High School campus, which opened in 2001. He was also part of the advisory board to select principal candidates for the high school.

He was named “Mr. North Port” by the City Commission in July 2008 and was given the key to the city this past April.

His impact on the city lives on in the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club on South Biscayne Drive.