By Lee Pyland, staff writer

Rodney Slater grew up in one of the most economically deprived areas in this country -- the lower Mississippi River Delta. But the Marianna native rose from the housing projects and cotton fields to become the first black Arkansan to attain a cabinet post.

Slater became the U.S. secretary of transportation Feb. 14. As fate would have it, he was sworn in by another Marianna native, District Court Judge Curtis Collier.

"I remember as he (Collier) walked into the Oval Office," Slater said. "He said, 'I dare say, Mr. President, that never in the history of this country has a young man from Marianna, Ark., had the opportunity to swear in another person from Marianna, Ark.'

"Frankly, the president was responsible for all of it," Slater said. "He appointed Curtis Collier to the U.S. District Court bench in Tennessee, and he appointed me as secretary of transportation."

In recognition of Black History Month at Arkansas State University, Slater was honored at a reception Friday at the Carl R. Reng Center.

Slater was director of governmental relations at ASU for five years before leaving in 1992 to join then-Gov. Bill Clinton's presidential campaign as an adviser.

During Clinton's first term, Slater served as the 13th administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. He was the first African American to hold that position.

Among the highlights of his work at ASU, Slater initiated the "Mississippi River Delta Symposium on Its People, Its Problems, Its Potential."

While living in Jonesboro, he also served five years on the Arkansas Highway Commission, which he chaired in 1992. As the new secretary of transportation, Slater looks toward the 21st century.

"The one thing I want to do is establish a program that will be called 'Technology and Transportation's Future Program,'"he said. "It is designed to introduce one million kids to transportation.

"We're going to teach them that, in the future, automobiles will be able to talk to them and give them directions," he said. "Cars will even be able to tell them where they want to go and how to get there; they will be able to actually steer themselves without human participation.

ÒWe want to tell them there is a new world awaiting them and that we have to build a transportation system that will allow us to reach the four corners of the world to access markets around the world."

Slater said he is prepared for this week's work. "I've got to make a decision about who will be the next Federal Aviation Administrator," he said. "That person will be responsible for the entire country. He will deal with issues about airports, fly routes and that kind of thing.

"Also, I'll select a chief of staff pretty soon. I have two congressional hearings (this week), which deal with budgets. I'm sure I'll make time to go to my daughter's dance class, her kindermusic class. I'll take her to school and read to her at night. You've got to do that kind of thing as well," he said.

While growing up, Slater distinguished himself as an athlete and scholar. He attended the schools of Marianna, which were segregated until his 10th grade year.

Upon graduation, he attended Eastern Michigan University on academic and athletic scholarships and played football and competed as a member of his school's national champion forensic team.

Slater graduated from Eastern Michigan in 1977. His alma mater presented him with its Black Alumni Achievement Award in 1994. He earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas.

Among his awards and achievements, Slater received the Arkansas Transit Association's Arkansas Public Transportation Advocate Award, the Arkansas Jaycees' designation as one of 10 Outstanding Young Arkansans and the magazine Arkansas Times' recognition as an Arkansas Hero for his work to improve the Delta.

As a young man, Slater said he became interested in politics. He followed people like President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Slater said he credits Bill Clinton, whom he has known since 1979, for much of his success. "I think Bill Clinton is one of the finest individuals God ever created," he said. "He is a lover of people, and he believes in public service. He's contributed his whole life to making things better and giving people like me an opportunity. He has served us wonderfully as president. We have the strongest economy in the world. We are at peace. We're experiencing prosperity beyond measure, and we're going into the 21st century in a bold and progressive way. And I think, as Bill Clinton says, our best days are yet to come."

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