To the Editor:
“The names of those who in their lives fought for life,
“Who wore at their hearts the fire’s center.
“Born of the sun they traveled a short while towards the sun,
“And left the vivid air signed with their honour.”
Stephen Spender
The death of Dr. Fred Sloan reminds us all of our frail and mortal condition. When death has taken a lion of a man from his family and all who knew and loved him, our attention is fixed on the meaning of life.
His passing is, of course, most difficult for his beloved children, and all of the Sloan family. Much like the Kennedy family, the Sloan family has endured countless tragedies. At the center of all those fateful days stood Fred Sloan.
Many years ago, Dr. Sloan answered a call to duty. He served his country proudly in the jungles of Indochina. He was a paratrooper. No one who came from that war zone or any other in American history should be forgotten. Duty, Honor, Country were words he stood for and lived by every day.
Since those years, he served, counseled, and helped countless children and adult peers in Allegany County’s Schools. He remained to the end on duty; a devoted servant of our children and our people in Allegany County.
On sunshiny days, and fall days, and blustery winter days, you would see him wave as he went by on the streets of his beloved ‘Coney. No Halloween in ‘Coney was complete without a candy apple from Fred Sloan.
So while his walk, his smile, and his wave have been stilled, if you look hard enough, you will still see Dr. Sloan — what he taught us all lives on in his children, and in our hearts. His wisdom, his smile, and his kindness are just up the street — around the corner of your life.
Ray Miller
Barton
