By: Elaina Faye Miller

Returning to Flora High School to teach was a dream for Doug Slagley. “I was very excited to start teaching with all my old teachers for the first few years,” he claims. He graduated in 1980 and returned later after teaching at multiple different schools.

Throughout high school, Slagley stayed very involved with activities. “I was a very active FHS student in sports of cross country, basketball, and track all 4 years. I was also an FFA member and officer and a student council member. I served as the FHS Student Body President in 79/80.”

After high school, Slagley went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. His initial plan did not involve Agriculture; it was Political Science. However, he explains that the political science professor was absent when he went to sign up for classes. He later found himself in the Agriculture Building where the Dean of Agriculture signed him up for an Agriculture Education major with political science classes.

“That fall I went first Political Science class at 8 am. At that time in history, most of the students were hippies. So at the end of the fall semester, I returned to the Agriculture Building where my Advisor in Agriculture was Dr. Legacy. He asked me if I wanted to change my major back to Political Science and I said no,” claimed Slagley.

Slagley keeps himself busy by teaching many different subjects including Environmental Science, Agriculture Science, and PSAA (Physical Science Application in Agriculture.) He also teaches a lesson in the woodshop. He describes his love for his career by saying, “I enjoy all classes as students learn many life lessons and practical skills.”