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alumniprofile Lou<strong>is</strong> Slovinsky Enthusiasm to try it all motiv<strong>at</strong>es former executive turned sculptor/painter/writer Lou<strong>is</strong> J. Slovinsky has spent h<strong>is</strong> entire life cre<strong>at</strong>ing art. H<strong>is</strong> gr<strong>and</strong>f<strong>at</strong>her taught him to carve toys from wood; the nuns in grammar school asked him to draw intric<strong>at</strong>e maps. “I was always drawing or copying something,” he recalls. Yet it wasn’t until he retired th<strong>at</strong> Slovinsky took an art lesson. Now 71, he <strong>is</strong> an accompl<strong>is</strong>hed sculptor <strong>and</strong> painter, with regular shows throughout New York St<strong>at</strong>e. Every bit of space in h<strong>is</strong> Bauhaus-style home in Cross River, NY, <strong>is</strong> filled with art—by himself, h<strong>is</strong> wife, Joan, <strong>and</strong> other art<strong>is</strong>ts—spilling into the garden <strong>and</strong> garage. “I’m doing really old-fashioned three-dimensional pieces,” he says of h<strong>is</strong> work, “but I like it—I have the luxury of saying the hell with you if you don’t.” Good-humored <strong>and</strong> frank, Slovinsky describes h<strong>is</strong> life with an enthusiasm th<strong>at</strong> makes you want to go out <strong>and</strong> do something. It <strong>is</strong> no surpr<strong>is</strong>e th<strong>at</strong> he built a successful c<strong>are</strong>er in the art of communic<strong>at</strong>ion. Starting off in the NBC mailroom, he worked h<strong>is</strong> way up to become Time Inc.’s chief spokesman; he was senior vice president of corpor<strong>at</strong>e communic<strong>at</strong>ions <strong>at</strong> HBO when he retired. Slovinsky has been drawn to words since h<strong>is</strong> childhood in Shen<strong>and</strong>oah, PA. A coal miner’s son, he used to v<strong>is</strong>it the town dump for reading m<strong>at</strong>erial: “I picked up magazines like the S<strong>at</strong>urday Evening Post <strong>and</strong> Life, shook out the crap, <strong>and</strong> brought them home. They introduced me to a broader world.” <strong>UB</strong> opened up th<strong>at</strong> world even further. Slovinsky enrolled in 1957, working nights <strong>at</strong> <strong>Buffalo</strong> General Hospital <strong>and</strong> summers <strong>at</strong> Bethlehem Steel. One of h<strong>is</strong> favorite professors was Oscar Silverman (1903–1977) of Engl<strong>is</strong>h <strong>and</strong> the Libraries, “a man of sharp wit <strong>and</strong> gre<strong>at</strong> grace.” After college, Slovinsky settled in New York City <strong>and</strong> eventually l<strong>and</strong>ed a job <strong>at</strong> Time Inc.—where he stayed for 30 years. “I was surrounded by gre<strong>at</strong> magazine writers,” Slovinsky says. “It was like being in perpetual gradu<strong>at</strong>e school.” He jumped <strong>at</strong> the chance to retire early, however—“I had so many other things I wanted to do.” He has taught writing, learned how to fly a plane <strong>and</strong> publ<strong>is</strong>hed a book, Alan Siegel: On Br<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>and</strong> Clear Communic<strong>at</strong>ions (Jorge Pinto Books, 2007). “There’s nothing I’m not afraid to try,” says Slovinsky. “I just have to live a long time.” Story by Cl<strong>are</strong> O’Shea, MA ’87 & BA ’84, with photo by John Emerson Slovinsky close-up <strong>UB</strong> degree BA ’61; Favorite sculptors David Boyajian, David Smith; Current project a book on sculptor/ painter Ted Egri To see h<strong>is</strong> work slovinskysculpture. blogspot.com www.alumni.buffalo.edu www.alumni.buffalo.edu <strong>UB</strong>TODAY <strong>UB</strong>TODAY Spring|Summer Winter 2009 2008 31