Following service in the Navy in World War II as a Radar Counter Measures corpsman in the Pacific on the USS Tulagi, Slayman received his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Michigan, and M.B.A. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. He completed the Health Systems Management program at Harvard University.
From 1952 - 1971 he was with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation starting in Labor Relations and finishing as Domestic and International Credit Manager. After a year on loan to the US Government in Washington, DC as an advisor on poverty programs for youth, he joined Kaiser Permanente as Health Plan Manager for the Ohio Region and later serving in other regions. He progressed to the home office in Oakland and ultimately retired as Vice President and Director, National Marketing Services in 1990.
In 1991 Slayman helped form the Health Services Advisory Group comprised of retired physicians and executives. The group conducted feasibility studies in Health Care Delivery and financing in Eastern Europe, Russia, Turkey, Viet Nam and Central Asia for various clients --- US AID, Kaiser Permanente, Harvard International and Project Hope. Following the death of his wife, Shirley Falconer Slayman, Slayman moved to Washington DC using this as a base for his consulting work. Beginning in 1997, Slayman took up the study of election administration and election systems working in the Montgomery County Maryland Election Office. In 2002 he qualified to be an International Polling Station Supervisor for the Kosovo Municipal Elections.
Ever a lover of books, he was a student of political science and American and European history with a particular focus on the Civil War and military and naval history. He began in 1993 a tradition with the Oxford/UC Berkeley Extension Summer Program of taking challenging courses for credit. He completed nine courses on topics including British Prime Ministers, International Law, International Economy, Comparative Government, Winston Churchill and finishing with two sessions on the History of the British Royal Navy.
Slayman was known for his loyalty to the Navy and the University of Michigan, his passion for travel, his love of a good book, fresh seafood, stimulating conversation and his kindness to animals. He is survived by his wife, Martha Tyson Ballantine Slayman, four sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren.
William Oliver Slayman, retired Vice President and Director, National Marketing Services, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program who helped shape the field of modern healthcare administration, passed away in peace with his family on December 15, 2009, at his home in Washington, DC. He was 84 years old.