Matthew Elson, 96, of Southbury, Connecticut and Sarasota, Florida died on October 11th, 2010. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University. His Masters Degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Social Work was supported by an academic fellowship.

Regarded as one of the foremost authorities on camping, Matt was Executive Director of the New Jersey 'Y' Camps for twenty-nine years. He received numerous awards for his outstanding work in Jewish Communal Service, including The American Camping Association, The National Conference on Jewish Communal Camping, The North American Alliance for Jewish Youth, The New Jersey Federation of YM-YWHA's, and the National Conference on Jewish Education. A Matthew Elson Annual Award was established by the Big East Chapter of the Association of Jewish Center Workers.

Matt directed five camps, and initiated a camp for children with learning disabilities, as well as summer camping and winter vacation programs for senior adults. He previously had been Director of Field Services for the New York Metropolitan Region of the National Jewish Welfare Board, and was Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island. Matt had held positions in camping, group work, and community organization, both in Cleveland, Ohio and New York City.

Matthew Elson is survived by Edith, his beloved wife of sixty-four years. He was the adored father of Dr. Jean Elson and Dr. Barry Elson, father-in-law of Tom and Vicki. Matt was also the proud grandfather of G. David, Jessica, Jasmine (and husband Sam), David, and Maya; and great-grandchildren Charlotte and Gryffith.

Memorials: To honor his memory, contributions may be made to: The Matt Elson Memorial Fund, NJ 'Y' Camps, 21 Plymouth Street, Fairfield, NJ 07004.

Location: Munson-Lovetere Southbury

Services: Burial is private.

Visitation: There are no calling hours.