In Fond Remembrance: FOI President John "Jack" Slattery 1940-2020

With a heavy heart, I must mention the passing of FOI President John (Jack) Slattery on June 21, 2020. A month before he celebrated his 80th birthday, but a failing heart and illness took him away from our presence. For many years he was our Friends of India president.  Many of the PCV's in south India knew him personally, especially Poultry Development groups India-16,26,33,42,99. 

Jack was loved by numerous people abroad and state side. He left an awesome legacy serving humanity his entire career and into retirement years. Jack was India-3 PCV group in 1962. While he was in Gangalvati Karnataka, he published a booklet on "Modern Poultry Farming for Profit". He then helped to develop a project for PCV's to assist in a poultry hatchery and breeding program with the government of Kerala and Karnataka states government poultry farms. Hens received by farmers by this effort had increased egg production, making poultry raising a profitable business. He also was involved in intensive village-level food production and introduced a variety of high yielding crops thus improving farmers level of living and welfare of their families. The success of these projects made the volunteers and Jack very pleased with their PCV contribution. This in itself, is a proud legacy of Jack and the many PCV's that made it happen. 

The Peace Corps, being young and fresh out of college, provided Jack direction (and needless to say many of us). While in India 8 years he worked on his post graduate education, doing Peace Corps programming and training, as well as field work for his dissertation in India on how two sub-ethnic groups of farmers in south India made their decisions in adopting new crops. At age 40, Jack worked in USAID, with two tours each in Kenya and Niger. Later he was a consultant with USAID and private volunteer organizations. Jack said, “without Peace Corps, this would never have happened! I loved every bit of it".

Good bye to Jack, our friend, mentor, service to the world in many capacities, especially his love and service in the Peace Corps. Jack's first wife, Alice, died in 2008. Jack remarried Cynthia Rogers, who has been a very loving wife for 10 years. Sympathy cards can be mailed to Cynthia Rogers, 7816-2 BIue Heron Drive West, Wilmington, NC 28411.

The impact of Peace Corps on his life in Jack's own words.

More on his legacy may be found here.

Prepared by George Nepert, treasurer of FOI

Jack and Cynthia in India, 2012