Professor Robert Slayton, the “elder statesman” of Chapman University’s History Department, passed away Dec. 22, 2023.
Known as “Bob” to colleagues, Slayton taught at Chapman from 1988 until his retirement in 2022, spending his entire career at the university. He was the first professor to twice receive Chapman’s Valerie E. Scudder Award for teaching and research, and was known for both his academic prowess and care for students and fellow faculty members.
Nicole Saito ’22 was distraught by the killings of Asian Americans in the Atlanta area in 2021.
“Within just a few hours of the tragedy, Dr. Slayton reached out, offering to listen, checking on me,” Saito said when Slayton retired. “He is so incredibly caring and supportive of his students, and during the pandemic, when we all felt so isolated, he really stepped up to help us.”
Associate Professor Alex Bay said Slayton went out of his way to befriend and mentor junior history faculty.
“He always makes time for us. He loves history and telling stories,” Bay said when Slayton retired.
Slayton’s mentorship of student research projects resulted in many award-winning senior theses.
“His passionate, story-telling lecture-style and the use of props and visuals in his teaching always captivated students,” according to Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences’ retirement tribute to Slayton. “One particularly memorable lecture had him come to class dressed as Al Capone to teach about gang warfare in the 1920s.”
Slayton wrote several books, including “ Empire Statesman ,” a biography of 1928 presidential candidate Alfred E. Smith. A few days before his death he signed his tenth book contract for “ Glamour and Grit: New York Movies and the City in American History ,” which will be published posthumously. His writing also appeared in prominent newspapers around the country.
The History Department established the Professor Robert A. Slayton Memorial Student Research Award fund in his honor.