William H. Forbes
FORBES, William H., 80, PRESQUE ISLE, May 3, 2011. Arrangements are in the care of Duncan-Graves Funeral Home, Presque Isle.
PRESQUE ISLE – William H. Forbes, died on May 3, 2011, after a long courageous battle with cancer. He was born on March 27, 1931, in Bingham, Maine, the son of the late William E. and Florence (Dickinson) Forbes. The family moved to Caribou, where Bill graduated from Caribou High School in the class of 1949.
Bill was one of the many people who saw Aroostook County as the gateway to the world. His love for science and particularly geology started before high school and remained a central theme throughout his life. The door really opened when three paleontologists, one from M.I.T., one from the U.S. Geological Survey, and one from the University of Connecticut, spied the young man sifting through a rock cut on the side of a County road and asked him what he was doing. “Looking for fossils,” he responded. “You won’t find anything there,” he was told. Reaching into his pockets, he responded, “I’m pretty happy with what I’ve found.” He invited them home for dinner and showed them his collection. One of the plant fossils was so spectacular that a new species to science was created. Psilophyton forbesii was published and later, specimens were donated to the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. In all, more than twenty species to science were created from his life’s work in paleontology and biology.
His reputation among geologists in Maine continued to grow and he served as the State Geologist for several years. However, he is best known as an educator, having taught geology at the University of Maine at Presque Isle to hundreds of students, passing on his love for science and learning. He cofounded the GeoEcology Club at UMPI as a means of exposing students to experiences beyond the classroom. His class field trips to Quebec and Florida became unforgettable adventures for many of the students. As a result of Bill’s contributions to science, he was granted an honorary PhD from Ricker College in 1970 and his students affectionately called him Doc thereafter. A highlight of his career was the research and teaching sabbatical at the University of Cork, Ireland, in 1983. He loved to travel and his research interests took him all over North America, Europe and even into Russia. After his retirement from UMPI, he remained in active contact with successive UMPI presidents, sharing his experience and hopes for continued development and faculty research. Most of all, he loved making friends. You could not have a short conversation with him.
He met his wife, Warrena, in Washburn, and lived there most of his life. Active in the community, he served on the board of the Washburn Memorial Library, as chairman of the Washburn town centennial committee (1961) and the Squa Pan Lake Association.
He is survived by Warrena Forbes, his wife of 60 years; his three children: Peter Forbes and his wife, Susan of Presque Isle, David Forbes and his wife, Paula of Roslindale, Mass., and Beth Forbes of South Portland; and six grandchildren: Benjamin Hancock, Abigail Moulton, Samantha Hancock, Lucas Forbes, Alex Forbes, and Rosalyn Forbes; and his three sisters: Gloria Flannery and her husband, Ruel of Fort Fairfield, Phyllis Anderson of Orange City, Fla., and Janet Erickson of Colorado Springs, Col.; and sixteen nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his mother and father; and three brothers: Richard, Donald, and Philip.
He will be missed by his photography buddies, Paul Hamlin, Oscar Nelder, and Brian Ross; his geology colleagues, Arthur Hussey, Gary Boone, Andrew Kasper, Patricia Gensel, Richard Naylor, Stuart Gelder, and Robert Newman; his friends, Donald Blackstone, Donald Zillman, and many more friends too numerous to mention.
In lieu of flowers, friends who wish may contribute to the William Forbes Geology Scholarship, with checks payable to the Foundation of the University at PI, University of Maine Presque Isle, 181 Main Street, Presque Isle, ME 04769, or the charity of their choice. Memorial services took place at 2 p.m., Monday, May 9, at State Road Advent Christian Church, Mapleton. Interment took place May 10, at Riverside Extension Cemetery in Washburn. Arrangements in care of Duncan-Graves Funeral Home, 30 Church St., Presque Isle. Online condolences may be expressed at www.duncan-graves.com
