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Dr. Roger M. Slatt died peacefully at his home in Norman, OK, with his sons, Andrew and Tom, at his side on February 22, 2020. Roger was 78 years old.
Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Helen (Nacht) Slatt of San Francisco, CA; older brother, Sherwood Slatt of San Francisco; and his beloved wife, Linda Gay Slatt, of the home. He is survived by his children, Andrew Slatt of Carrollton, TX, and Tom Slatt of Sacramento, CA; and two grandchildren, Alexander Slatt and wife Dani of Burnet, TX, and Rex Slatt of Sacramento, CA.
Roger was born on July 5, 1941, in San Francisco, CA, to Earl and Helen Slatt. Roger grew up in San Francisco eager to learn about everything offered to him. However, he found time to build friendships that lasted his entire life. Roger’s love for science inspired him to get an A.A. from San Francisco City College in 1961. Soon after, he gained his B.A. from California State University in 1965, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Alaska in 1967 and 1970 respectively. After receiving his Ph.D., he taught geology for eight years at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Arizona State University. After his teaching and research experience, Roger spent 14 years in the petroleum industry as Research Manager with Cities Service Research, ARCO Research, and ARCO International Oil and Gas Co. before joining Colorado School of Mines as professor and head of the Geology and Engineering Department in 1992. Eight years later, Roger and Linda moved to Norman when he was named Director of the School of Geology and Geophysics at University of Oklahoma, holding this position until 2006. Leaving the directive of the School allowed Roger to focus solely on teaching, research, and his students through his Reservoir Characterization Institute, founded in 2003. Roger was Gungoll Family Chair Professor in Petroleum Geology and Geophysics at University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Slatt was a tireless worker and passionate geologist. There is probably no other place where he was happier and more energetic than the field. He was always eager to pass on his love for rocks and outcrops to his students. He published approximately 150 articles and abstracts and is author/co-author/editor of six books on a wide range of petroleum geology topics. Considered an industry expert, Roger has been an AAPG and SPE Distinguished Lecturer, and presented courses internationally for industry and government organizations. He is the recipient of the AAPG Distinguished Service Award, the Esso Australia Distinguished Lecturer in Petroleum Geology, AAPG Honorary Membership, AAPG Grover Murray Distinguished Educator Award, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) Special Commendation Award, and most recently the 2012 Jules Braunstein Memorial Award for co-authoring a poster with colleague Younane Abousleiman on ‘Merging sequence stratigraphy and geomechanics for unconventional gas shales”. He has graduated more than 100 M.S. and Ph.D. students while at OU.
In addition to his illustrious career, Roger was a loving husband to his wife, Linda, who occasionally accompanied him on his international consulting or teaching travels. Their home reflected their love of travel and different cultures by displaying items from their travels. He also enjoyed the time he spent with his sons. For instance, an August 2018 road trip with Andrew for some Montana fishing, visit [and droning] old project sites, and then on to grandson Alexander and Dani’s wedding in Las Vegas, NV. He supported and loved his sons and grandchildren on their endeavors, such as opening Fancy That restaurant with Tom in downtown Norman. Roger loved to take friends to Fancy That to enjoy his son’s dishes.
Fishing was Roger’s favorite way to get away and just relax. Every summer, he would head to Montana, Idaho or Wyoming for a week of quality fishing with his longtime friends. He was eager to try new foods on his travels but oysters and chicharron (pork skin) remained two of his favorite foods.
Roger passed away peacefully in his home after complications of an illness treated since 2017. He will be remembered as an excellent geologist, but moreover as a lifelong mentor to his students. He was a pioneer in the Oil and Gas Industry and a leading figure in the geoscience community.
Roger was a staunch supporter of his international students. He had a love for animals and would also support non-profit organizations that aided animal wellbeing and placement such as ASPCA. He also was an advocate in the fight against cancer; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was one of his favorites. Should friends desire, contributions honoring Roger’s memory can be made to OU Foundation supporting Colombian and Venezuelan students. For more information about OU Foundation donations please contact Yoana Walschap at ywalschap@ou.edu. Donation instructions for SPCA and St. Jude’s can be found at secure.aspca.org and www.stjude.org/donate respectively.
**DUE TO HEALTH CONCERNS REGARDING THE CORONA VIRUS, THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR ROGER WILL BE POSTPONED INDEFINITELY.
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