The "Robert Slade" Story So Far

My great grandparents had eleven kids. I have, therefore, a large extended family in the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada area. In spite of the fact that "Robert" is a very popular name for those of my age, I am the only "Robert Slade" in my immediate family.

A few years back, when I started getting articles published in international journals, I started to get phone calls from people asking if I was that same "Robert Slade" who lived in Vancouver and worked in data comm technology. Yes, but I hadn't worked for those particular companies. There was another "Robert Slade" who lived in Vancouver. When I went to work at MDA, I met him: he worked there too. (And, boy, did *that* cause havoc in the mailroom.)

After I had been publishing my technical book reviews for a few years, I did a search on the AltaVista search engine for "Robert Slade", to try and find out who was using my reviews without telling me. As well as a few of those, I found a "Robert Slade" in the UK who had pictures of his budgies on the Web. Not two days later, I got email from him. Someone had sent him a message intended for me. His Web page, and the "guest book" he created there, had already been visited by two other "Robert Slade"s. He (Robert E. Slade of Bath, UK) suggested that we form a club.

So this is it. The "Robert Slade" Internet club.

Robert E. tried to track down the other addresses he found, and we got a response from Robert J Slade, also of Bath, UK, noting some interesting coincidences. Robert E. had also found a trace of Robert O., but we didn't have an address for him until he emailed us and asked to join. Then, completely out of the blue we heard from Robert Andrew, of Oxfordshire, UK, with even more strange coincidences. (In fact, he didn't know the half of it.)

The "Robert Slade" Internet Club. Where everybody knows your name :-)

"But the `Robert Slade' Internet Club exams aren't rigorous at all. They only ask you one question, `Who are you?', and I had that one right off." - slightly paraphrased from "Beyond the Fringe"

masres@bath.ac.uk

Robert E. Slade, Bath, UK 

> There is also another
> Robert Slade in the Vancouver area where I live: we both work in data comm
> fields, and at one time worked for the same company  :-)

There are two "Robert Slades" who have signed my WWW visitors' book.
My father is also called Robert and so was my Grandfather!
Perhaps we could start a club!!? :-)

	Regards,
		Robert.

R. E. Slade, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, BA2 7AY.
Photography Page

bslade@intergate.bc.ca

Bob Slade, Langley, BC, Canada

When I worked with Bob, I found out that he also does "party music" as a hobby/business. Weddings and stuff. 

>Subj:	RE: You Found Me !! (Again!).

>(Check out the SWCM course I'm teaching thru the Software Productivity Center
> and UBC next month - even has a Bio on me - see :
>      http://www.pro.net/spc/scm.htm

>bob@mda.ca   OR  bslade@intergate.bc.ca
>(Work)           (Home - netsurfing)

I swiped the bio from his course ad page :-)

Bob Slade, MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates: Bob currently oversees the Configuration Management (CM) activities at MDA. His career has centered on Production Management and Engineering. More recently, he has worked on Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) and Configuration Management. He is conversant with all widely-accepted and acknowledged methods and standards for CM, including military and ISO 9000 standards. His work in the development and implementation of CM policies and procedures played a major role in MDA's receipt of AQAP-13 certification. Mr. Slade had developed and implemented CM plans and procedures for military, space and commercial software development programs and is considered the company's foremost authority on Configuration Management.

rob@likely.demon.co.uk

Robert J Slade, also of Bath, UK 

From:	MAILER::"rob@likely.demon.co.uk"  5-JUL-1996 09:45:27.75
> From:	MX%"masres@bath.ac.uk"  3-JUL-1996 09:30:28.99
> >	rob@likely.demon.co.uk

> >Anyone own up to either of these?  Perhaps they're also fellow Slades

Yes I do ! I'm Robert J Slade and was quite suprised and amused to
receive this e-mail. The realy odd thing is the simalarites between 
things other Robert Slade's the those I am doing or have done:

I live in Bath;

Worked in Software CM;

Taking an Open University Degree in Maths

> Why not?  The more confusion, the better!  I think I'll add a section on
> the club to my page.

I agree, this could be the start of something big, Today Canada and 
Bath, Tomorrow the world!

bslade@dynavac.com

Robert O., of Massechusetts

Robert E. of Bath had found a trace of Robert O., so we were pleased to get the following message: 

From: Bob Slade 
Subject: The "Robert Slade" Internet Club

Hi, this is Robert O. Slade Jr. of Kingston, MA. USA (formally of
Plymouth MA USA).  I would like to have my name added to the page.  I
work for a company called DynaVac.  Our home page is www.dynavac.com.  I
have been working on our home page for about 3 weeks now.  Please stop
by and give your opinion, ideas, etc..  My e-mail address is
bslade@dynavac.com

r.slade@virgin.net

Robert Andrew "searched" us out on the net. 

Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 22:08:13 +0100
From: Robert Slade 
Subject: Robert Slade Internet Club

Hello from another Robert Slade, from Oxfordshire, England !

During a bored moment, I typed "Robert Slade" into the Alta Vista Search 
engine and discovered that we had our own Internet club ! I'd like to 
join, if that's OK; I think I have the right qualifications ;-)

For the record, my full name is Robert Andrew Slade, age 32, BSc in 
Physics (Bristol University), married to Alison, and I work as a Design 
Engineer for Oxford Instruments, on NMR and MRI systems.

Here is another example of the strange coincidences noted by Robert J 
Slade: until recently, a relative of mine, Nora Catherine Slade, lived 
in North Vancouver, BC. Sadly, she passed away in April this year 
(actually about a week before I was due to visit her, whilst I was in 
the middle of a skiing holiday in Whistler). Her father was David Slade, 
who emigrated from the Poole, Dorset, in England, (home to many 
generations of Slades) to farm in Drumheller, near Calgary, before 
eventually moving to North Vancouver.

There are other, much older links between the Poole Slades and Canada: 
At least the last 6 to 7 generations of "my" Slades all come from Poole, 
and my grandfather compiled a substantial family tree. The Poole Slades 
owned several of the major Newfoundland trade companies in the late 18th 
and early 19th centuries. Several Slades settled in Newfoundland, (Fogo, 
Trinity Bay and Carbonere), so presumably many of the Slades in Canada 
are related to these immigrants, possibly even yourself !! I have a lot 
of information about the Poole Slades. Robert was a very favoured name 
(for example, the three consecutive Mayors of Poole from 1832 to 1838 
were all called Robert Slade, the middle one being my 
great-great-grand-uncle).

I have access to a lot of information on the Poole Slades, including 
books, old portraits, and museum references, (even the Slade heraldic 
symbol and family motto), and a general interest in tracing the family 
links further, so if any other Slades wish to contact me, please feel 
free.

Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 20:16:55 +0100
From: Robert Slade 

Hello again; sorry to take so long to reply - I've been trying to get my 
father to send me the family "Black Book", which his father compiled, 
and is choc-full of family history, but he won't commit it to the safety 
of the Royal Mail! When I get it I'll pass on interesting info on Robert 
Slades, and put my family tree into a GED file.

Nora's father was David Slade who emigrated from England to Vancouver 
some time around the turn of the century. He married M. Sellers and had 
four children, Nora, John, Peggy and Geraldine (or Gerry, who was 
adopted). All are now dead, Nora being the last to go. John married 
twice (to Pat and then Louise), but we don't *think* he had any 
children, nor did Nora or Peggy. Gerry married David Forrest, and had 
two children, all of whom are still living in North Vancouver. David 
Slade also had three brothers: Raymond, Joseph and Gerald (my 
grandfather), who all lived for a time in Canada, helping on David's 
farm. They all eventually came back to England, except David, but my dad 
jokingly suggested that Joseph ("Uncle Joe") might have had a secret 
family in Canada !

> I do have a more recent connection with Poole: my Dad's cousin moved
> back to England, and managed a pub in Bournemouth, later buying the
> Shave's Cross Inn.  (He's back here, now.)
> 
I think I've been to that pub !

As I said, when I get the info from my father, I'll be in touch. I might 
be able to dig out some amusing stories about previous Robert Slades for 
the web page.

Cheers,
Oxon Rob

roberts@decus.ca

Rob Slade, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Me, I'm Robert Michael Slade, son of George Raymond Slade, son of Harry Slade. Much of the time you can also find me at Vancouver CommunityNet, DECUS VANISL, MindLink, or even Victoria TeleCommunity Net, but I don't check those mailboxes as often.

I'm the author of "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (and that was *not* my idea for a title--blame Springer-Verlag). I maintain two "SIGs" at Victoria TeleCommunity Net on antiviral materials and book reviews. Sporadically I update the BCVAXLUG page.

I understand (from Robert E.) that there is also a
Russell Robert Slade in Provo, Utah, USA, and
pumakid@sky.net. I've seen messages on Usenet from this one recently, asking for "classic" Hot Wheels cars and other "collectable" toys.