Dr. Joseph Matheu is being honored for his tireless efforts to organize an identify collectors to display artifacts of the Civil War period at the McCord Gallery and Cultural Center's Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit. The artifacts included various original weapons, clothing, personal items, and letters from the Civil War period. A collector himself, Dr. Matheu sought assistance from other collector friends and associates. The exhibit eventually included several hundred artifacts and items. Arranging and preparing a description for each of these required Dr. Matheu to devote his full-time attention, away from his practice and patients, for the full week prior to the exhibit's opening. During the exhibit, Dr. Matheu would "radiate with energy" when he would share his knowledge of the exhibit's collection with the many school children who attended the exhibit as a field trip or with their parents.

Mayor John F. Mahoney noted that, "Dr. Matheu is the rare collector whose enthusiasm and passion for exhibit and the artifacts requires him to share his knowledge with others. … The Village of Palos Park is indebted to Dr. Matheu for volunteering his time and energy to offer an exhibit of this scope and excellence to our community and for creating a memorable experience for the many children and adults who attended."