A native of Gouverneur, Dr. W. Barton Van Slyke has spent his life helping others. He entered the Army in August 1943, with a majority of his time in the service spent in Europe. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive on the Western front during WWII. After this battle, Dr. Van Slyke and his platoon were sent to the Philippines where they waited to be deployed to invade Japan, which never happened because the War ended in August 1945. He was discharged in 1946 at the rank of Private First Class and received a number of accolades, including a Good Conduct Ribbon and two stars on his European Theater ribbon.

After leaving the service, Dr. Van Slyke went to medical school at the University of Rochester. He entered into medicine, a field in which he had a lengthy and successful career. Dr. Van Slyke first worked as a general practitioner in Gouverneur and then as a radiologist at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown before retiring in 1988. Medicine and working to improve the health of the people in the North Country is something that is important not just to Dr. Van Slyke, but also to other members of his family, including his wife Anna Jane, who is a former nurse.

Dr. Van Slyke’s desire to serve is evident in the way he consistently made giving back to his community a priority. Throughout his lifetime, he has been active in a number of local organizations, including the Boy Scouts – where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout – Rotary and local theater.