[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 30, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E94]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MOURNING THE LOSS OF DR. JOHN BROOKS SLAUGHTER, FORMER CHANCELLOR OF 
    THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AND DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE 
                               FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 30, 2024

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of Dr. John 
Brooks Slaughter--a towering figure in academia and the science 
community in America. He passed away last month at the age of 89.
  Some will remember John as the gifted engineer who devoted the first 
15 years of his career to supporting the crucial work at the U.S. Navy 
Electronics Laboratory as a civilian employee. Later, he became the 
director of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of 
Washington, and assistant director for Astronomics, Atmospherics, 
Earth, and Ocean Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
  Others will remember John for his leadership in academia and the 
sciences--especially after President Jimmy Carter selected him to serve 
as the sixth Director of the NSF in 1980. He excelled in that position 
during his two years, advocating for greater investment in science 
education, including at minority-serving institutions.
  In Maryland, we will remember John as the man who transformed the 
University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) for the better as its 
Chancellor between 1982 and 1988--the first Black American to hold the 
position. He made our university more efficient, inclusive, diverse, 
collaborative, and prosperous. John was beloved by UMD's students, 
faculty, and staff alike. The same was true at Occidental College, 
where John served as President between 1989 and 1999, and at the 
University of Southern California, where John was appointed the Melbo 
Professor of Leadership in Education in 1999.
  I'm sure John's wife Bernice, their two children Jacqueline and John, 
and the rest of his relatives will remember him as a devoted family 
man.
  No matter who we are or how we knew John, however, we will remember 
him as a man of high intellect, great character, and unwavering 
devotion to serving others. For that, he has the gratitude of this 
Congress and this country. I hope all my colleagues will join me in 
mourning him and praying for his family.

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