Retired band director dies in accident
November 7, 2006
BY DEBORAH LAVERTY
dlaverty@nwitimes.com
219.662.5324
A former River Forest High School band director died Saturday in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula after falling out of his boat while duck
hunting, authorities there said.
Weldon John Slater Jr., 60, was transported to Helen Newberry Joy
Hospital in Newberry, Mich., where he was pronounced dead, according
to a report issued by the Mackinac County sheriff's office.
Although the accident remains under investigation by police, his
widow, Claudia Slater, said it's her understanding that her husband
died from hypothermia.
She said her husband was duck hunting on South Manistique Lake, a
4,000-acre waterway on which the former Chesterton couple made their
home since 2001.
Police reports indicate Slater fell into the lake after shooing a
duck but was pulled from the water to safety by his companion, Jim
Wicks.
Wicks also was transported to the hospital and treated for
hypothermia, police said.
Fair Use Notice: This document may contain copyrighted material
whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners. We believe
that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes
a fair use of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section
107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted
material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must
obtain permission from the copyright owner.
