Ed Slotten, a longtime physics department staff member who retired in 2005, passed away June 1. He was 75.
Ed joined the department shortly after graduating from Madison Area Technical College and worked here for 34 years before retiring. He was both an accountant and a research program manager.
“Ed was a friend, colleague, and superbly supported the department through the good and bad times,” says emeritus professor Don Reeder. “I was here for almost all his 34 years and witnessed his outstanding service.”
Says professor Bob Joynt: “Ed took care of me for anything financial from when I arrived in 1986 until his retirement almost 20 years later. I never had to worry about anything — he always had it covered. He was the person I also went to talk to whenever I just felt like talking — sometimes sports, sometimes university stuff — didn’t matter. He was always a source of good cheer, wisdom, and fun. RIP, Ed.”
Professor Thad Walker adds: “I was interviewing in early 1990. I knew how important efficient purchasing was going to be to getting my experiments going quickly. I kept hounding Jim Lawler for details. Jim got tired of it, took me to Ed’s office, and asked Ed to have my reimbursement check ready later that morning. Ed’s delivery of said check shut me up. Ed was an excellent, efficient, and cheerful administrator.”
Ed was also a husband and father (he is survived by his wife, Debra, his daughter, Lisa, and his son, Scott), a passionate Badger and Madison-area high school sports fan, and a U.S. Army veteran.
Ed stopped by the department somewhat regularly even after his retirement, and his visits were always welcome. He will be greatly missed.