J.E. Slater Memorial Fund

We have established a memorial fund in the honor of Joseph E. Slater, the grandfather of Aaron Hurst, President and Founder of the Taproot Foundation. He was the inspiration for the Taproot Foundation and his spirit and legacy continues to guide our work. Mr. Slater died on November 26th, 2002 of Parkinson’s disease. The J.E. Slater Memorial Fund celebrates his lifelong commitment to cross-sector collaboration and helps to support the Taproot Foundation’s mission to bring together business and nonprofit professionals in work to improve our communities. J.E. Slater’s career was dedicated to public service. Even in his brief stint as Chief Economist for the Creole Petroleum Company, he focused his efforts on creating the company’s charitable foundation and strengthening communities where the company drilled.

Joseph E. Slater

JES Fund Donors Academy for Educational Development Mrs. Robert O. Anderson The Aspen Institute Aspen Institute Japan Morrell Michael & Maria Avram Mr. & Mrs. Donald Bady Larry E. Bain Michael Bernstein Edward Bleier Lord & Lady Bullock Maureen Corr Norma Flender Larry E. Gordon Aaron Hurst Peter J. Hurst Tera L. Hurst Henry Kissinger Robert S. Kruger Alex Kwapong Catherine McGowan Susan C. McKeever Joan S. McMenamin Martin & Margy Meyerson George P. Mitchell George B. Munroe Waldemar & Marcia Nielsen Michael J. O'Neil Ruth M. Palmer Pappas & Pappas Dan I. Porat Anthony Paduano & Ruth M. Porat David Rockefeller Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Sybil Sage Anne Slater Annaliese Soros Virgina & Eric Stein Martha R. Sutphen Helen Swinton Jane Thors Alexander Trowbridge Volvo Group North America Dr. & Mrs. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. King R. Woodward Hogan Yoon

After being graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, Mr. Slater enlisted as an officer in the U.S. Navy and joined the war effort. After the war, he was appointed the Secretary General of the Allied High Commission in Germany. As a senior member of the team rebuilding Germany after WWII, he was responsible for drafting the economic recovery plan for West Germany. He then took a post in Paris working to create NATO and the Organization for European Economic Cooperation, organizations created by the Marshall Plan to ensure European stability. Mr. Slater returned to the United States in the 1950’s and led the international programs for the Ford Foundation. During his tenure at the foundation, he took a leave of absence when he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs under President John F. Kennedy. In this position in the State Department, he drafted a plan for a program that would send Americans abroad to serve. The blueprint was adopted and was the basis for the Peace Corps. Following his stint at the Ford Foundation he assumed the Presidency of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla. In 1969, Mr. Slater became the President of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. He held the position for 17 years and transformed the organization into an international organization with participation with the leaders of every field, including heads of state, CEOs, artists and academics. When he left the organization in 1986, the Aspen Institute had active offices in six countries and was recognized as a one of the most influential think tanks in the world. Mr. Slater recognized the complexity of issues and the importance of bringing multiple perspectives to the table to seriously address them. This was the strategy behind the rebuilding of Germany after WWII, and later became the concept behind the Peace Corps. It was also the reason he took the job as head of the Salk Institute for Biological studies despite not having any background in biology. This philosophy continues to form the core of the Aspen Institute’s mission.

The Taproot Foundation was created to help realize J.E. Slater’s vision of a society where communities work together to improve the human condition – a civil society. The foundation works to build working relationships between business and nonprofit professionals. Over the course of 5 months, volunteers from the business community work with nonprofit executives to help build the infrastructure of their organization so that they are better able to serve the community. The peer relationships that are developed during these projects then serve as the basis for further dialog and collaboration between the sectors.

You can read a more complete history of his career in an article published in the New York Times the day after his death or the article that followed in the San Francisco Chronicle.

To contribute to the J.E. Slater Memorial Fund and support the Taproot Foundation, please use our online donation form or send your donation to:

J.E. Slater Memorial Fund
Taproot Foundation
466 Geary Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94102