Joe Slattery was my Hyde classmate and good friend. Arriving as a sophomore from Lewiston, Maine, Joe was already a well-known Maine high school football running back. He quickly became our marquee player as well as a top wrestler and lacrosse player. He was also the hardest “hitter” I ever played sports with or against. (And it was a lot more fun playing with him!) After Hyde, he went on to play running back for Division 1 Boston University.
But Joe was far more than a jock. At the time, Hyde was an all-boys school, and there wasn’t exactly an ethos favoring artistic creativity. Joe helped change that, excelling on the pottery wheel to the point where he earned sweet pocket change selling his wares in local galleries. We all thought that was pretty cool.
Finally, Joe also applied his enterprising spirit to the great outdoors. Always trying to organize fishing, hunting, and camping trips, Joe was a wild child.
In his mid-40s, Joe contracted a rare heart disease called Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. He died at 47 in 1997. In Joe’s honor, several of our classmates got together and established the Joe Slattery Award in honor of his multi-faceted spirit. While we intentionally chose to keep the requirements vague, we agreed that it would need to go to someone that Joe would have thought was cool. We don’t always give this award, because, well, we don’t always see the likes of Joe at Hyde. This year our task was easy.
While Joe ultimately left his native Maine to become a full-on Californian, this year’s recipient left Colorado four years ago to come to school in Maine during a Pandemic. When he first arrived, he did not always appear overjoyed to be here. His rebel spirit was appreciated even when he was not ready to put that spirit in the right direction. In his time here, he began a transformative process and established himself as a competitive athlete, artist, and school leader. This year, his sense of presence has been both substantive and memorable.
When he speaks, we know that he is speaking from his formed principles and basic fairness with others.
Here at Hyde, we speak often of bonds that have been “forged in fire.” For this year’s recipient, that was certainly true with many of his teachers. We will miss him but know that our bond with Barry will endure and we look forward to seeing where his path will take him in life.
So, Joe, wherever you are, I know you’ve gotta like this year’s recipient of the Joe Slattery Award: Barry '24
