Barney Forsell retires from AFP

In the past 32 years, few have contributed s o much to the moulding / millwork industry as American Forest Products Corporation's Palmer C. "Barney" Forsell.

While his contributions to the company and to the advancement of standards of western moulding products producers will be felt for many years, he has recently retired as sales manager, moulding/millwork operations and administrator, of AFP's building materials div., national sales, out of Stockton. Ca.

Forsell's activities during these past 32 years would exhaust most others.

Beginning in 1941, Forsell moved from western Minnesota to Lakeview, Oregon, to, as he puts it, "embark on a lumbering career, which seemed to have a promising future." He was hired as a sheet metal helper during construction of AFP's sawmill in Lakeview. Soon after he began working in the plant and within two years, took over as relief machine operator, learning moulding production right at the basic stage.

When the job of assistant bookkeeper in the office was offered to him, Barney accepted. [n just three short years, he was promoted to purchasing agent for all box factoryo moulding plant, sawntill and logging division supplies. In addition, he was responsible for co-ordinating sales of box shook, moulding, some lumber, and "doing some custom milling for a local sawmill."

In the spring of 1950, then vp. Harold Ford asked Barney to come to San-Francisco "to help broaden our Eastern coverage in moulding and lumber. This was a big opportunity to really see what could be accomplished in the sales field."

For the following 23 years, Barney recalls "fond memories of various aecomplishments, of which the most satisfying was the accumulation of a host of friends as good reliable customers.t'

In 1956, Forsell became millwork sales manager, which afiorded him the opportunity to work with the then WPA as district committeeman and later chairman on mouldings. At the same time, he also worked on the original committee appointed by moulding producers-to establish and put into effect a separately constituted mouldings associationWestern Wood Moulding Products. He subsequently served as WWMP's committeeman, committee chairman, director, and, in 1972, president. As their president, he was elected direc. tor of NFPA in Washington, D.C.

Now, after 32 active, productive years, Forsell is retiring from the career to which he has devoted so much, and from which he has made a multitude of friends. His first ambition now, he says, "is to spend about three months touring this wonderful country of ours visiting family, relatives and friends,"