A Memoriam to Robert Andrew Slimak
Mike Slimak has been a friend, a contributor and an Associate Editor to EBI since the inception of this journal. Tragically, on 22 March of this year, he lost his son Rob to a hiking accident. Rob was 26 years old.
Rob attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, and earned his BA in political science in 2003. While at VCU he was active in the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity. After graduating college, Rob worked for two years as a legal assistant for Coates & Davenport in Richmond, VA, specializing in bankruptcy cases.
Rob met his wife, Holly, during his junior year at VCU. He married the true love of his life just before he entered law school, in August, 2005. As Rob progressed through law school he published an article in the Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest, titled, “Checking up with BARF: Evaluating the effectiveness, challenges and shortcomings of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.” He especially enjoyed role-playing opportunities in mock trial competitions. One in particular, Holly and Rob did together. Dressed appropriately and in character, Holly played the part of an old, confused woman that Rob was representing. They outmaneuvered and bewildered their opponents handily in this competition. Last summer (2007) Rob interned with the city of Richmond, which sealed his decision to become a prosecutor after graduation.
During the third week of March, 2008, Rob took a break from fence and deck-building to relax with his friends and former fraternity buddies at Crabtree Falls in the George Washington National Forest, Nelson County, VA. This was a semi-annual trip that he had made numerous times to his favorite outdoor spot. On Saturday, March 22, while sitting on a ledge at the falls, he lost his footing, and fell to his death, cutting his promising life tragically short. His funeral service was held in the University of Richmond Chapel and was attended by many family, faculty, friends, and his beloved fraternity brothers. The University of Richmond awarded him his Juris Doctorate, posthumously, on May 10, 2008 when he received a standing ovation from his law school classmates and the audience.
This Memoriam was used (with permission) from a biography of Rob Slimak, prepared on 15 June (Father's Day) by Mike Slimak. As our hearts go out to Mike and his extended family, please also consider contributing to the Holly Slimak Fund, which will allow her to make mortgage payments on their house in Richmond for the next few months, giving needed time to look into options for refinancing. for those who may wish to contribute, please send a check to:
The Holly Slimak Contribution Fund
C/O Bank of America
4101 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23230
Indicate acct no. 435007558696. Phone: (804) 342-7620.