Michael Ray Slabaugh was born on July 28, 1943. He graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in 1965, and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1970 from Iowa State University. He is married to Cheri Janene Wright, who taught interior design at Weber State from 1974-2012. He started as an assistant professor of chemistry at Weber State College in 1971. He became an associate professor in 1976, and professor in 1979. Mike has written over 30 books and editions related to chemistry, several of them co-authored with Spencer Seager. He was the assistant director and director (starting in 1989) of the Weber Regional Science Fair from approximately 1979-2004. He was the 1979 Professor of the Year, and received the Spencer Seager Distinguished Teaching Award in 2005 from Weber State University. He retired in 2005.