Michael’s memorial service was held on August 21, 2016 at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa. Michael’s wife, Irene Stratton, shares the video here in two parts:

Memorial Program

A PDF of the program can be viewed or downloaded here.

Transcript of Irene’s memorial talk during the service (PDF)

Transcript of Patti Stratton Jordan’s memorial talk during the service (PDF)

Michael’s life story as shared by Richard Mains during the service (PDF)

PostScript from Irene

In response to some expressions of concern for me, here is a bit about life after Michael.  Although it has been devastating to lose my beloved, and the grief process is ongoing, I want to reassure people that I’ll be OK.  We shared so much, but I have always had parts of my life that were separate from our couple-ness.  Singing in the choir, spending time with my wonderful friends, keeping involved with our kids’ lives, and pursuing interests that Michael didn’t share have now become the center of my life, instead of just part of it.  The gifts of music, nature, friends, and family nurture me and uplift me.  I’m not there yet, but I believe that eventually all of these will allow me to fully embrace this new phase of my life.

Obituary

Michael’s obituary, written by Irene, can be viewed or downloaded here. (PDF)

Tributes In Industry Publications

A memorial written by Linley Gwennap in Microprocessor Report, which Michael founded. (PDF)

EE Journal article by Jim Turley (PDF)

EE Times article by Rick Merritt (PDF)

Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA
Oral History Project, May 16, 2016

Video

http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102738140

Interview Transcript

http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102738141

Presentations by Michael

Published on Apr 19, 2012 by Webvanta

Michael Slater, CEO of Webvanta (www.webvanta.com), gives a five-minute whirlwind history of computer technology

Talk for the Analy High School AP Computer Science Class

Comments from Friends and Colleagues

Search Facebook for Michael Slater, Sebastopol for many comments

Check out Michael’s Blog for April 4th, where you can hear Michael and friend Mark reminisce and hear his delightful laugh.

From Brian Berg:

Michael Slater: An Untold Story

Much of Michael’s newsletter inspiration, and many of his earliest writers, came from the Asilomar Microcomputer Workshop (AMW). I rode down to my first AMW with Michael and another friend in 1987, and I remember him talking about a newsletter he was planning to start later that year.  The rest is history. I am so very pleased that David Laws and others at the Computer History Museum (CHM) created an Oral History of Michael.  Anyone with a love of history should check out the rich archives of Oral Histories on the CHM website. May Michael’s name be remembered!

From Deena Monchick in response to obituary:

Our world is a better place because of Michael. From his innovative work that touched countless people to his impact on individuals he personally inspired. He & Irene were my first mentors. He taught me as much as I could consume, inspired a fascination w/ technology & helped me become the person I am today. Thank you, Michael. I will forever be grateful for you and your life.

From Nancy Pressel Alpert (comment on PT post):

Don and I have you in our thoughts and prayers. You are a blessing to many people. It has been hard reading your blog. Sometimes I think the most important thing we can do with our lives is to share our pain to help others. This is exactly what you are doing through this blog. You have taken something so raw and turned it into something beautiful. Thank you.
Sending lots of love, Nancy

The post In Memoriam – Michael Slater 11/15/55 – 6/19/16 appeared first on Parting Thoughts.

My mom, Helen Slater Zager, died at age 92 a little more than three years ago. She and I were very close, and it was a tough year for me after her death.

Here’s the post I wrote shortly after her passing: Remembering my Mom, Helen Slater Zager. It says as well as I can say today what a positive influence she was for me.

For the past three years, I have had boxes and boxes of her photographs in my garage. For the past two months, I’ve had a high-school intern, Izzy Ehnes, sorting through these boxes and scanning as much as she can. She’s scanned about 750 items, which I’m now sorting through.

My mom was a great storyteller, and she had something of a reputation for embellishing, if not fabricating, some of the stories. One of the stories she told was of her wealthy boyfriend in Philadelphia before she married my father.

I regret now that I never took these stories more seriously and asked my mom about him, because in going through her photos, we’ve found him!

One piece of writing she left behind gives some insight into these early days: Helen’s autobiography of her early life. In the photo captions, he is referred to as Smitty, but in her autobiography his name is Larry Horowitz.

Here are some excerpts from her autobiography that talk about the end of her relationship with Larry, her marriage to my father, and her move from Philadelphia to Los Angeles:

Larry Horowitz was in the midst of a divorce and had two small sons. He was 31, and since I was only 20, I thought him middle aged. But he had a great personality, and showed me a world I didn’t know existed. He often treated me to some fancy lunch, and in a few months we were dating.

Larry and I saw every show, movie, attended every concert and ate in every special restaurant between Philadelphia and New York. But I knew from the beginning that this was a temporary situation for me. I disliked Larry’s arrogance. He never ordered from the menu. He would order whatever he chose to eat and the chef would make it for him. He would never wait in line. He always slipped somebody a twenty-dollar bill and we got into the club or restaurant immediately.

She first met my father in Philadelphia, where he was visiting:

A blind date had been arranged for me by my good friends Grace Schimmel and Jay Portner. I had known them for many years and agreed to the arrangement to meet Dan Slater. He was living in Los Angeles, but was visiting in Philadelphia with Grace and Jay. The date was filled with small talk, but was not unpleasant.

Dan thought the arrangement was for me to show him around the city, and generally keep him occupied. He arrived with flowers and a tourist guide. We went to all the usual historical places. We had a good time and Dan asked me if I ever planned to go to L.A. I had never given it a thought, but when the projected trip with Helen Greenspan came up, I remembered his offer to host me on the west coast.

She took a trip to Los Angeles to escort Helen Greenspan, who wanted to get out of Philadelphia, and there she connected again with Dan:

Finally, we arrived at the beautiful Los Angeles downtown train station but we had not yet made a reservation and so had to find a hotel. I was so thrilled with our trip I had not called or written Dan to tell him that I was coming. When I finally called, he told me that Jay Portner had already called to tell him of my trip west. Dan and his brother Walter came to our hotel for a welcome party.

They had made dinner reservations at a fancy Hollywood restaurant not far from the Hollywood Roosevelt where we were staying. In the course of the evening, Dan told me that he was a drug detail man for Endo Products, that his time was flexible, and since we had no car, he would take we two Helens to see the sights. Little did I know that he wanted to be with us every single day and evening.

Dan was so different than Larry, so reserved and removed that I enjoyed not being suffocated, but missing the warmth that I had been spoiled by. Dan asked me if I would consider staying on indefinitely. I was shocked! Of course I couldn’t consider leaving my wonderful job, my family and all my friends. But as the days went on, I started to look at the relationship with Dan as my exit visa from Philadelphia. I was happier without Larry wanting to control my every hour. I was ready to break away.

Here’s a selection of photos from her early adult years. Most of these photos were taken in Philadelphia, but some are in Los Angeles.

I find it fascinating to try to imagine what her life was like back then. Looking at these pictures, I get a glimpse of who she was, at about the age my daughter Amanda is today!

She married my father, Dan Slater, in 1945, at age 25 — the same age I was when I married Irene. And I was born when my mom was 35, the same age I was when Gregory was born.

I’ll be publishing more galleries of her work, as well as many more family photos, once I get them sorted out.

For now, if you’re hungry for more, there’s lots more photos on Helen’s website, which I built for her many years ago for her ceramics business and then turned into a memorial site.

The post Remembering Mom appeared first on Parting Thoughts.

A West County Home Companion

Songs and Stories from the West Pole

If you are a Garrison Keillor/Prairie Home Companion fan, come and see our home-grown Companion. There will be lots of choir and also lots of special guests and surprises.  Come one, come all!

Saturday, April 30, 7:30pm, Occidental Center for the Arts

The first concert is a special Family Sing for only $10, kids encouraged (12 years and younger are free). There’s a sing-along from 7:30 – 8:00.

Sunday, May 1, 3pm, Sebastopol Center for the Arts

Friday, May 6, 8pm, Occidental Center for the Arts

Saturday, May 7, 8pm, Occidental Center for the Arts

Sunday, May 8, 3pm, Glaser Center, Santa Rosa

Buy Tickets Online to hold your seat.

My wife Irene has been in the choir on and off for much of the past 25 years, dropping out periodically when kid-raising demands got too time consuming, and, now, to take care of me.  We hope we’ll run into you at one of the concerts!

The post Occidental Choir Spring Concerts Coming Up appeared first on Parting Thoughts.