Raymond Maurice Slade, Jr. passed away on May 26, 2024, after an illness in Austin, TX. Raymond was born on October 13, 1946, in Austin, Texas. He was raised in church, attending Northwest Baptist and Crestview Baptist. He graduated in 1965 from Lanier High School in Austin. Raymond attended Blinn College in Brenham, where he played basketball for two years. He completed his college education with a degree in mathematics from Texas State University in San Marcos. He was also a veteran, having dutifully and gratefully served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
Raymond was a proud and passionate public servant who had a long career studying water resources while employed at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Texas. He began his USGS career in 1968 as a Student Employee / Hydrologic Technician, where he collected data about surface water, groundwater, and water quality. After a few years, he became a Hydrologist and spent the rest of his 35-year career contributing to scientific advancements and numerous reports about floods, droughts, hydrology of the Edwards aquifer, urban and rural surface-water hydrology, and water quality. Raymond assisted the State highway department research program in updating flood statistics throughout Texas to aid in bridge design and floodplain management. He collaborated with scientists and historians in documenting flash floods; contributed to extreme rainfall documentation in central Texas; and used engineering skills to estimate peak floods after they occurred. He was a regular science contributor to various water-resource topics for the Edwards Aquifer, and particularly his beloved Barton Springs.
There is a memorial service on November 17, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at Zilker Botanical Gardens, 2220 Barton springs Rd Austin, TX 78746.
