Joseph A. Slash was born in Belpre, Ohio, and moved to Huntington at a young age. After graduating from Douglass High School in 1937, he continued his education at Bluefield State Teachers College, the University of Pittsburgh, Case Western Reserve, Ohio University, and Marshall University where he was awarded his doctoral pedagogy degree in 1984. Slash began his teaching career in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1943 and became principal at his alma mater Douglass High School in 1956.
After serving in various educational positions, he was appointed superintendent of Cabell County Schools on March 2, 1977. Slash was the first black school superintendent in West Virginia. Working with Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Slash was successful in opening the Cabell County Vo-Tech Center. He received the West Virginia School Board Association-Distinguished Educator Award for 40 years of dedicated service and commitment to achieving excellence in public education in 1988. Other awards include Marshall University's Most Outstanding Black Alumnus Award in 1976 and the Marshall University Alumni Association Community Achievement Award in 1981.
