Bill Slavick
Encyclopedia
Bill Slavick is a peace activist who ran for the U.S. Senate in Maine
as an independent
in the 2006 election. He came in third place, receiving 5.2% of the vote.
, and grew up during the Great Depression
. After high school, Slavick was a Memphis
Commercial Appeal sportswriter. He served in the U.S. Army. In graduate school, he wrote for the South Bend
, Indiana
, Democratic weekly. After retirement, he operated
Pilgrimage Interfaith Bookstore, then assisted in construction of a
Sebago Lake
family vacation house.
His wife, Ursula, served as Portland
Teachers’ Association president. Both are active in Sacred Heart/St. Dominic parish as Council members and leaders of the Haiti project. They have six living children and nine grandchildren. They reside in Portland.
Slavick has published hundreds of articles and numerous letters on social justice
and peace subjects in state and national publications. His scholarly writing focuses on modern Southern fiction.
In academé, Slavick contributed significantly to faculty shared governance, originated the USM honors program, chaired faculty bodies including the Maine Association of University Professors Conference, led in initiating faculty collective bargaining, and organizedacademic and peace conferences. He served on the board of Citizens for Educational Freedom.
and taught at Notre Dame, St. Mary’s College
, Louisiana State University
, SUNY Geneseo, Marquette
, Mount. St. Paul, and the University of Southern Maine
(1970–1995). He was a Fulbright
lecturer in West Germany
in 1977.
causes, mostly causes opposed to American foreign policy. Slavick served for 19 years as coordinator of Pax Christi
Maine, the Catholic
and ecumenical peace movement. He has been a spokesperson for the Maine Fair Trade Coalition and is a
founding member of Maine Haiti Solidarity and Maine Peace and Justice in Israel/ Palestine. In Catholic Organizations for Renewal, he is a voice for church reform and lay responsibility, especially regarding social justice and peace issues. He is an active member of Veterans for Peace
. He was 1996 recipient of the Amnesty International
Chapter 174 Human Rights Activist Award.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
in the 2006 election. He came in third place, receiving 5.2% of the vote.
Background
Bill Slavick was born in TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and grew up during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. After high school, Slavick was a Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
Commercial Appeal sportswriter. He served in the U.S. Army. In graduate school, he wrote for the South Bend
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Democratic weekly. After retirement, he operated
Pilgrimage Interfaith Bookstore, then assisted in construction of a
Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake is the deepest and second largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of , covers about in surface area, has a length of and a shoreline length of . The surface is around above sea level, so the deep bottom is below the present...
family vacation house.
His wife, Ursula, served as Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
Teachers’ Association president. Both are active in Sacred Heart/St. Dominic parish as Council members and leaders of the Haiti project. They have six living children and nine grandchildren. They reside in Portland.
Slavick has published hundreds of articles and numerous letters on social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and peace subjects in state and national publications. His scholarly writing focuses on modern Southern fiction.
In academé, Slavick contributed significantly to faculty shared governance, originated the USM honors program, chaired faculty bodies including the Maine Association of University Professors Conference, led in initiating faculty collective bargaining, and organizedacademic and peace conferences. He served on the board of Citizens for Educational Freedom.
Education
He earned three degrees at Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and taught at Notre Dame, St. Mary’s College
Saint Mary's College (Indiana)
Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. It is located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community northeast of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States — as are the University of Notre Dame and Holy...
, Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, SUNY Geneseo, Marquette
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, Mount. St. Paul, and the University of Southern Maine
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
(1970–1995). He was a Fulbright
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
lecturer in West Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1977.
Politics and activism
Slavick has been involved in religious and secular efforts to advance several generally progressiveProgressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
causes, mostly causes opposed to American foreign policy. Slavick served for 19 years as coordinator of Pax Christi
Pax Christi
-History:Pax Christi was established in France in 1945 as a reconciliation work between the French and the Germans after the Second World War. In 2007, it existed in more than 60 countries...
Maine, the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and ecumenical peace movement. He has been a spokesperson for the Maine Fair Trade Coalition and is a
founding member of Maine Haiti Solidarity and Maine Peace and Justice in Israel/ Palestine. In Catholic Organizations for Renewal, he is a voice for church reform and lay responsibility, especially regarding social justice and peace issues. He is an active member of Veterans for Peace
Veterans for Peace
Veterans For Peace is a United States organization founded in 1985. Made up of male and female US military veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and other conflicts, as well as peacetime veterans, the group works to promote alternatives to war.-Foundation:The...
. He was 1996 recipient of the Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
Chapter 174 Human Rights Activist Award.