Mentone

Mentone Election

Thomas Slate McDorman was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1975. He also attended school there but spent much of his childhood in Mentone. He earned an Associate Degree in Electronics from Virginia College and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is entering his final semester of Law School at the Birmingham School of Law. After starting work for Inspectech in Valley Head, Slate decided to reside permanently in Mentone in 2002.

Slate’s great-grandfather discovered the beauty of the area and built a home in Mentone in 1918. Slate subsequently developed a passion for the area and has wanted to live here fulltime ever since he was a child. Slate is engaged to Katherine Baker and they plan to marry at Desoto Falls and grow old together raising their children in Mentone.

Slate plans to establish his law office in Mentone after taking the State Bar exam next year. Currently, he works as a legal intern for his father, Clarence McDorman. The majority of their practice involves the area of Legal Malpractice, suing lawyers for their negligent representation of their clients.

Slate has always been a natural born leader. As a college student, he owned and led his own web company, The Matrix. The company hosted over a thousand non-profit sites for free, while creating several sites for well-known associations like The Diabetic Association, Alabama Autism, The Birmingham Bar Association and Miss Alabama, as well as some humor related sites such as Ihatemen.com and Ihatewomen.com. Now, the site that Slate puts the most effort into is Ireallyhatecancer.com (a site detailing his experience with cancer and lending support to those in similar situations).

In 2007, Slate was diagnosed with late stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and immediately sought treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. While he endured chemotherapy, he grew tremendously homesick. As his body grew weak from treatment, he longed for Mentone –with all its comforts of home. Realizing that Mentone stands at a crossroad in development, Slate found himself entrenched in a battle to protect the town’s charm and ongoing beauty.

Slate furthers his civic efforts by volunteering for The Desoto Rescue Squad, MAPA, and the Alabama Rivers Alliance, as well as presiding over the Lookout Mountain Heritage Alliance. Recently, he began attending the Lookout Mountain Parkway Association meetings and hopes to collaborate with Moon Lake Elementary School’s Parent/Teacher Association. Slate also works with the Alabama Leukemia/Lymphoma Society and will soon be counseling recently diagnosed cancer patients.

Slate believes in hard work and finishing any job that he starts. Placing God and family first, his values prove conservative and honorable. He will work to ensure safety while protecting Mentone’s environment. He will listen to Mentone’s citizens while seeking to be understood. No matter how rocky the road becomes, he will fight for what he believes in because: Mentone Matters!