Eugene Slaughter was born on June 9, 1909, in Pontotoc, OK, the son of William Curtis and May Belle Penick Slaughter. He attended school from from 1915 to 1925 in schools in Milburn, Sulphur, and Durant. He began is career in education by serving as a high school teacher principal in Albany 1927-1928, and as a part-time high school teacher in 1929. He was attending college while working and he got his AB degree in English in 1929 from Southeastern Teacher's College and in 1930 he received is A.M. degree from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
He joined Southeastern's faculty in 1932 and remained until 1974. At Southeastern his primary assignments were as teacher of English grammar, literature, composition, and general humanities. From time to time he had collateral assignments as teacher of journalism and English education, as college librarian, as editor of the catalogue and of faculty self-surveys and handbook, as director of publicity, of faculty research and institutional studies, and of Federal-grant programs for teachers of English and reading and for trainers of teacher trainers.
In 1933 he married Dorothy Orrine Truby, and had three children. His career continued, and he was a graduate teaching fellow in English, Vanderbilt University research, from 1938 to 1939. He was granted leave from Southeastern, 1942-1945, so he could serve in the United States Navy as an air navigation officer. He served again during the Korean conflict as an intelligence officer. He was active in the Naval Reserve until 1969.
In 1946 he was awarded his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt in English language and literature and medieval romance languages. He served in more than twenty scholarly organizations in linguistics, literature, education, and international relations. He also was active in producing scholarly writings. He wrote five articles and one book on Chaucer, nineteen articles about teacher preparation and the teaching of English, a book and reports on training teacher trainers, a monograph called A Generous University Education and the joint author of The National Interest and the Teaching of English, in 1961.
He was active in community affairs also, serving on the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and the First Christian Church. He was honored by receiving the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Retired Faculty Award in 1994. He passed away on December 16, 1995 at 86 years of age.