David Andrew Sloan's Obituary
David Sloan passed away on March 4th, 2025 at the age of 84. Raised in Topanga Canyon, California, by his parents Bill and Pearl Sloan and alongside his 2 brothers and 2 sisters, David’s quick wit and indisputable intelligence were both a source of pride as well as exasperation for his family. “What to do with Dave?” was apparently a common question and one that eventually placed David as a touring member of the acrobatic troupe “The Amazing Monahans!” Yes, it put him in the Circus which became a lifelong question people would whisper: “Did you know David was once in the Circus?” Circus life was only temporary, however, and David went on to put his intellect to better use graduating with a PhD in American history from UC Santa Barbara. At that point, David’s life turned from the sunny beaches of California to the hills, lakes, and rivers of Northwest Arkansas when, in the early 1960s, David joined the faculty of the University of Arkansas’s history department. Throughout his 38-year tenure as a professor, David influenced countless minds and left an indelible mark on the department itself. David came to value his chosen community with a particularly enduring love for Beaver Lake and the small cabin he built, by hand, upon the shores of the tiny town of Larue, Arkansas. To know David was to laugh with him, to debate with him, and, for most, to love him. He was a deeply caring father and partner as well as a loyal friend. He will be missed by all that knew him, but in particular by his three children and their spouses, Jennifer Sloan & Nate Belove, Heather Sloan & Matt Champagne, and Drew & Alicia Sloan, his eight grandchildren, Max, Finn, Gus, Ted, Sagely, Mirabelle, Charlie, and Oliver and his devoted partner, Merideth Boswell. We were all lucky to know him and it is with the greatest sadness that our time of goodbye has arrived.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Ozark Society Endowment Fund by clicking: https://www.arcf.org/give-online/?fund=Ozark+Society+Endowment and maybe consider taking a hike in David’s honor while you’re at it. He would have liked to have been able to join you.
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