Otto Slater was “the Mayor” of Byrd Lane in Los Altos Hills. Before the last time I went to a Wallace Stegner reading (circa 1992), in San Francisco, I got the low-down from Otto: “I hear there’s a hoot-owl been sounding”. Nature-talk was a currency among a certain type of Los Altan,although I was a mere poseur. (Otto was also a retired Lockheed engineer and great-grandfather).
I ran a photo of his wife Lucy(d. 2012), Jed, Pucci and their old Mustang, circa 1988, a few months back.
I was his neighbor on and off for about 25 years.
The Ogden obituary says Wallace Stegner says that Otto has or had a green thumb up to his elbows.