Thomas Slough Jr.

1926 - 2015

Thomas Radford Slough, Jr.

Madison

Thomas Radford Slough, Jr. died peacefully at his home in Madison with his wife by his bedside, on September l6, 2015 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Tom was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi on November 30, 1926, the only child of Thomas Radford Slough, Sr. and Thelma Nunnery Slough. His family moved to Jackson in 1936 where he went to elementary school at Whitfield School, Bailey Jr. High School and graduated from Central High School in the summer of 1943

He began studying at Texas A&M College and after the first year enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served until the end of World War II. After the war, he enrolled at Millsaps College for a semester where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He returned to Texas A&M where he graduated in 1949 with a Baccalaureate Degree in Business.

His professional career began with The Mid-South Oil Company (Pure Oil) in Memphis and then to E.I. DuPont as Contract Engineer in Memphis and in Orange, Texas. He returned to Mississippi to obtain an Aeronautical Engineering degree from Mississippi State University in l959, remaining there to teach for ten years in the math department and to take graduate courses in engineering and business. In l969, he left MSU to invest in the catfish industry. He became the general manager of Blue Channel Enterprises, where he supervised the construction of a 700-acre catfish farm and processing plant in Tallahatchie County, MS. After the sale of this business in 1978, he accepted the position of President and CEO of Delta Industries, Inc. (Jackson Ready Mix Concrete). He retired from the company in 2002.

Tom was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson. He served as a director of the Mississippi Economic Council; the John Bell Williams Airport in Raymond, MS; the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries of Mississippi State University; President and Director of the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association; Director and President of BIPEC and President of Stop Lawsuit Abuse in Mississippi. He was selected as a Hall of Fame member of the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association.

Tom was full of life and knowledge. During his last few months of his battle with cancer, he stated that he had lived his life with no regrets, and that he had done everything he had ever wanted to do. Tom was a certified scuba diver, a blue water sailor and loved to pilot his Grumman until his hearing deficit kept him grounded. He loved airplanes and built his own Ultra Light. He was "Mister Fix It" and always said he wanted to leave at least twelve projects unfinished when he passed away. He met and exceeded that ambition. He was quite a story teller and the family joke was to not ask him what time it was because he would tell you how to build a watch. He loved to be asked by his grandchildren to help with any math problem and was honored to be asked to tutor one of the Lost Boys of Africa.

Tom loved to cook and his specialties were fried catfish and bread pudding with whiskey sauce. Many people across the state and nation enjoyed his expertise in frying catfish. In l982, Craig Claiborne, the food editor with the New York Times, invited him to his East Hampton, New York home to help celebrate Craig's birthday. There were 37 chefs and one catfish fryer, Tom Slough. The fried catfish was a huge favorite. In l983, when President Ronald Reagan hosted the Summit of Industrialized Nations in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, Tom was invited to cook catfish for the heads of state from Britain, France, West Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada and the European Common Market. Again, the fried catfish proved to be a winner.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents. He leaves his beloved wife, Evelyn (Evie) and a blended family of three sons and two daughters. Sons, Thomas Radford (Rad) Slough, III of Atlanta, Georgia; Samuel (Sam) Herbert Slough and wife, Kathy of Flora; Lisa Sinclair Vaughan and husband, Chip of Huntsville, AL; Laura Sinclair Sims and husband, Reggie of Madison, MS; Bradley Sinclair and wife, Jennifer of Ridgeland, MS; grandchildren, Charlie Slough, US Navy submarine fleet; Lesli Patterson of Madison, MS; Alex Scott of Southaven, MS; Adam Sims of Mississippi State University; Jack and Luke Sims of Madison, MS; and Ainsley, Christopher, Brady and Josh Sinclair of Ridgeland, MS; great grandchildren, Lauren Gilliland, Colin Patterson and Lexi Patterson of Madison. Tom was deeply loved and respected and will be missed by all of his family, his friends and associates.

A memorial service will be held at Christ United Methodist Church on Saturday, September 19th with visitation from l2:00 - 1:00 P.M. Memorial service will begin at 1:00.

Tom's family sincerely appreciate the excellent care and personal attention of Dr. Bobby Graham of Jackson Oncology Associates and the staff from Hospice Ministries. Their service was over and above our expectations.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wounded Warriors of MS, Christ United Methodist Church or First Presbyterian Church.