David Slautterback

David B. Slautterback died March 28, 2020 at the age of 93.  He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 15, 1926 and lived in Benton Harbor, Michigan until his parents’ divorce in 1935.  David then moved to Fremont, Michigan in 1937 and graduated from Fremont High School in 1943. Two weeks later, he enrolled in the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

David served in the Army from 1946 to 1948.  He arrived in Manila, Philippines one month after the atomic bombing of Japan and served there until discharged.  He completed his Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science degrees at the University of Michigan in 1949 and spent a graduate year at Wenner-Grens Institute for Cell Physiology in Stockholm, Sweden.  Returning to New York City, David was the first graduate student in a new program developed by Cornell University Medical College and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute.  His PhD was awarded June 9th of 1952 and on June 10th he married Marilyn Clarke with whom he happily spent the next 60 years until her death in 2012.

David taught Human Anatomy and Histology and did cell research at New York University Medical School and Cornell University Medical School. He joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Medical School, Anatomy Department in 1959.  He chaired the Department during sixteen difficult years in the 1960s and 1970s.  David was one of the first biologists to work with the new electron microscopes.  His research was intended to define cell organelles, identify their function, and follow the changes in the membraneous systems of cells during differentiation.

After retiring from UW in 1994, he served as a volunteer lobbyist for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and as a liaison to several partner organizations until 2002.  His advocacy work was primarily in health and long-term care.  Subsequently, he was active in progressive political organizations including The Madison Institute, the Media Reform Group, and United Nations Association. He was especially delighted to learn to model the human figure in clay and enjoyed working as a Senior Docent at The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. David served on several committees in his church, First United Methodist Church.  He had a special interest in theology and was a founding member of Faith and Reason in First United Methodist Church; he chaired the Committee of the Lyons Lectureship in Theology.

David and his wife, Marilyn, lived in the Arboretum for over thirty years where they enjoyed gardening and being surrounded by trees and nature. David was deeply devoted to his wife and their children.

David is survived and will be sorely missed by his four loving children, his five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his nephew and niece. He was preceded in death by his wife; his sister; and his parents.