It is with great sadness we bid farewell to Loren “Ted” Sloane, our benefactor and one-half of the genealogical research power couple he and wife Alice Richardson made. Yet it is with great joy we remember his dedication to the local community and its history.
Loren “Ted” Sloane was born in Davenport, Iowa on August 28 1928 to Leland and Grace Sloane. He attended the city schools; in high school, he was a member of the Boys Quartet, (he “majored” in music) and the golf team.
Ted graduated from Davenport High School in 1946 and served in the army at the end of the Second World War.
He attended St. Ambrose University for a time, then studied law at Drake University. There he was a member of the choir and the Young Republicans.
While a student at Drake, he married Alice Richardson at her parents’ home in Davenport on December 20th, 1949.
After graduating from Drake in 1953, Ted and his family returned to the Davenport area and he worked with his father in the insurance business.
By the time he opened his own law practice in 1961 (also in the First National Bank building), Ted and Alice were living in Pleasant Valley with their two children, Suzanne and David.
Ted Sloane was featured in the local newspapers participating in some of his favorite life-long hobbies and activities. In the photo below, he is shown playing golf at Crow Valley Country Club during a tournament.
In addition to having fun, he made connections through playing golf. Bill Wundram wrote about the Sloanes numerous times over the years.
Ted worked as an attorney and investor until he retired in the mid-1980s. He then began working as a professional genealogist alongside his wife Alice. They had an office in the Village of East Davenport. According to an article in the April 13th, 2010, Quad-City Times, Ted began his genealogical research on his own family and discovered that his ancestor John Sloane was the first treasurer of the United States. His “knowledge of court documents” complemented Alice’s long experience as a genealogical researcher. His expertise in genealogical research was frequently sought by the local press. He offered advice about the use of computers in genealogy in the February 28, 1997 issue of the Quad-City Times.
Alice and Ted Sloane were the recipients of the 1990 Quad-Cities Heritage League Pioneer Award. The Sloanes always supported the library:
In 1999, Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center at Main Street Library opened:
In 2005, they advocated for the Scott County library consortium:
Ted Sloane’s impact on the Quad-Cities and the Davenport Public Library will be remembered for years to come. He and his wife, Alice, were active members of the community who wanted to make their communities better.
Bibliography
The Blackhawk Yearbook. Davenport High School: Davenport, Iowa. 1946.
Scott County Iowa Genealogical Society Scrapbooks
(posted by Katie and Kathryn)
