Mourning the Loss of Dr. John Brooks Slaughter, Former Chancellor of the University of Maryland and Director of the National Science Foundation

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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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