Dr. John Brian "Jack" Slattery

Dr. John Brian “Jack” Slattery (May 22, 1940 – June 21, 2020) has concluded an eight decade adventure spanning nearly 65 countries around the globe.  Notable wit, fearless explorer, fierce competitor on the tennis court but magnanimous everywhere else, his easy bonhomie drew people to him and built lifelong friendships. 

Born in Boston and adopted as an infant into a working class family in Ashland, Massachusetts, Jack grew up the son of a railroad iron worker and homemaker with three older sisters who remained his drinking and travel companions for decades.  His prowess on Ashland High School’s gridiron earned him a football scholarship to Brandeis University, which proved especially fortuitous as the scholarship continued even after the football program folded during his first year.  Inspired by psychology and anthropology classes taught by Abraham Maslow and Kathleen Gough – and the novel experience of being Catholic at the primarily Jewish university – Jack developed a keen interest in human behavior and different cultures.  That drive would ultimately take him around the world, including nearly twenty years living in India, Africa and the South Pacific.   

In 1962, Jack married his high school sweetheart, Alice Marie Franchi, at a time when Irish-Italian unions were still a shunnable offense in certain areas of Boston; their partnership would last for more than 45 years.  Accepted into the recently formed Peace Corps at just 21 and 19, the newlyweds joined the first group of volunteers sent to India.  Months of intensive preparation and outward-bound style training in Puerto Rico paved the way for three years promoting public health, nutrition and agricultural reforms throughout rural southern India and the city of Bangalore.  By the end of their tour in India, they had celebrated the birth of their first daughter and Jack had been promoted to permanent Peace Corps staff.  Their return from India – a three month automotive Odyssey throughout the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe, one infant daughter in tow and another on the way – ultimately led them to Hawaii, where Jack had been accepted in a graduate program in Anthropology.  After completing his coursework, the family returned to India for two more years as Peace Corps staff while he simultaneously conducted research for his dissertation on agricultural decision-making in India. 

A subsequent three year assignment as a Peace Corps program and training officer in Western Samoa paved the way for Jack’s entry into the professional ranks of the US Agency on International Development (USAID).  Over the course of a 25 year career with USAID, he worked on the Africa, Eastern Europe and Middle East desks with multiyear postings in Kenya and Niger.  After retiring from USAID in 1994, he continued promoting international development through numerous consulting and volunteer projects.  In 2004, Jack and Alice moved to Wilmington, NC, to enjoy an active lifestyle, quickly developing a large community of friends who shared their passion for tennis, yoga and afternoon gin-and-tonics. 

Jack received a second lease on life after Alice’s sudden death in 2008 when he met Cynthia Rogers, a longtime educator in Wilmington.  Jack and Cynthia married in 2010, and spent wonderful years together.  In addition to their frequent travels, Jack volunteered his time to numerous projects: coordinating relief for Hurricane Katrina victims; serving as a professional mentor through UNCW’s Cameron School of Business Executive Network; president of the Friends of India Peace Corps alumni group; and board member for several non-profits.     

Jack leaves behind a wife, Cynthia Rogers; two daughters, Elisa Slattery and Erin Supernor; and four grandchildren, Elisabeth Miller, David Supernor, Michael Supernor, and Zoe Salemson.  His memory will be cherished by many, many more.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jack’s name to a non-profit hospice care organization – a cause close to Jack’s heart – such as Lower Cape Fear LifeCare: https://lifecare.org/