By Deborah Larsen
John Lloyd Slocum
John Lloyd Slocum was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 9, 1920, the son of Farish and Daisy Dickson Slocum. The Slocum family moved to Rochester when John was a small child. He attended Rochester High School and graduated in the class of 1942. After high school, John was employed at Pontiac Motors.
In May 1944, John entered the U.S. Navy. He was stationed at an ammunition depot in Hawthorne, Nevada, and later told a newspaper reporter that he fell into the hobby of rock collecting while there because the station was remote and there was little else to do. John was discharged from military service in June 1946.
After the war, John worked as a toolmaker and continued his interest in rock collecting, polishing, and jewelry making. His interest in rocks led him to experiment with the creation of man-made stones, and he successfully grew a gem opal in 1964. He marketed the opal under the names “Slocum Stone,” “Step Beyond Opal,” and “Opal Essence.” His opals were sold around the globe and were exhibited at the Smithsonian, the British Museum, and at Cranbrook. John also started a business in Auburn Hills with Burdette Lewis of Rochester. Their company was called L & S Plastics, and it specialized in plastic imbediments of coins and other memorabilia for collectors.
John Lloyd Slocum died at age 77 on March 23, 1998, and was laid to rest at White Chapel Cemetery.