Charles R. Slivinsky ’63

Charles died July 28, 2025, in Surprise, Ariz., after a two-year battle with esophageal cancer.

Born and raised in Saint Clair, Pa., he was president of his local high school class and the student council as well as class salutatorian. He also played varsity football and basketball. At Princeton, he majored in electrical engineering, was a research assistant in that department, a waiter in Commons, manager of the faculty cafeteria, and played intramural basketball.

Immediately upon graduation, Charles married his high school sweetheart and the couple moved to Tucson, where Charles completed both his master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Arizona.

In 1968, he began a long and impactful academic career at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where he served as a professor and then chairman in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His passion for research and innovation led him to spend three sabbatical years in industry, working at Boeing in Santa Clara, Calif.; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio; and Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Ore.

Charles retired as professor emeritus in 2000. He and his wife moved to Surprise to be near family, and Charles was an adjunct professor at Arizona State University in Tempe for three years.

In full retirement, Charles’ lifelong love of learning only deepened. He explored new fields — chemistry, geology, astronomy, physics, and musical theory — and learned to play classical guitar.

Charles is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary; daughters Julie and Tina; and four grandchildren.