Who is Professor Slatta and why all the cowboy stuff?
Glad you asked! Richard W. Slatta is professor emeritus of history at North Carolina State University where he taught since completing doctoral work at The University of Texas at Austin in 1980 through his retirement on 30 June 2019. He now plans lots of travel, photography, reading (novels for a change), and relaxing.
Career Highlights
Published 10 books and hundreds of articles and reviews. Promoted to full professor in 1990 Won the NCSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences Lonnie and Carol Poole Award for Teaching Excellence for 1999-2000 Directed the university's First Year Inquiry program for many years through June 2016. Taught summer study abroad courses in London (2013-15) and Prague (2016). In July 2016, began "phased retirement" from NC State, teaching half time, HI 216-601 (online) through May 2019. Then hasta la vista, baby. Professional Training and Life
Having saved Panama and Texas, at least temporarily (see below), Slatta returned to graduate school: MA at Portland (OR) State University in 1974; PhD at The University of Texas at Austin in 1980. Specializing in the comparative study of ranching frontiers, he has since traveled and researched widely throughout the Western Hemisphere from Tandil, Argentina to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Kona, Hawaii (western hemisphere??). Yes, all that cowboy stuff is really what he studies. Why? Much more interesting and mythologized than bankers? Actually, separating frontier myth from reality is the core intellectual challenge in cowboyology. Frontiers also provide a methodological challege as source materials are more scarce. Slatta has served as historical consultant for many documentaries: "Cowboys of the Americas" (Disney Channel, Warner Western, 1993), "The Columbian Exchange" (WGBH-TV/PBS, 1991), "America's Horse" (ESPN, 1992), "Cowboy Tech" (History Channel, 2004) and more. 
Honors, Awards and 10 Books Published
More news and professional activities
Early Life
Born on a cold October night in Powers Lake, North Dakota [is there any other kind? Get out your atlas], Slatta spent his first ten years in the ND metropolises of Wildrose, Upham, Gackle, and Enderlin. Thereafter he enjoyed stints in Manderson, Wyoming, Turlock, California [famous then for turkeys and watermelons], and Hillsboro, Oregon [next to Nike in Beaverton]. Yes, the West is Best! In 1969, he earned his BA in history at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington, focusing on western US and frontier history. (Go Lutes). Two weeks after graduating from PLU, he hopped a flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico [dressed in a wool blazer and slacks! Yes, he had some things to learn about tropical climates] to train as a Peace Corps volunteer. Yes, some people think helping others is not a bad thing. Give it a try!! Pay it forward. He served as an urban community development volunteer for the Peace Corps in a squatter settlement near Panama City, solving most of that nation's pressing problems. Unfortunately, the effect lasted only temporarily. Slatta remains supportive of the Peace Corps, but terms and conditions have changed greatly since his service--get the current facts. He returned to the US to find he'd won the lottery-- the army draft lottery-- There was, after all, an undeclared war in Vietnam. Too valuable to be shot, he spent two years with the Second Armored Division Band ("Hell on Wheels") at Ft. Hood, Texas. During his illustrious military career as a bandsman, he marched and played in most rodeo parades held in the great state of Texas, consuming bbq and beer on each occasion. He did develop a key military and lifelong skill: watching where you step VERY carefully when marching behind horses. Long live John Phillips Sousa! The 2d Armored Division, including the band, disbanded in 2003, but Slatta accepts no responsibility for its demise. Whenever possible, he hones his snorkeling skills in the islands of the Caribbean. His wife Maxine and son JD share his passion for reefs, tropical fish, and snorkeling.
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