Remembering Dr. Bill Forbes

FORMER RED DEER COLLEGE President, Dr. William (Bill) Forbes, passed away November 15, 2018. Bill Forbes was RDC’s fourth president and he served our College for ten years, from 1973 through 1984. Dr. Forbes’ work was critical to the construction of the Red Deer College Arts Centre, as well as to redefining the role of the Students’ Association and our institution’s approach to student governance.

It’s fitting that, as we reflect on the transformation of Red Deer College in our current decade, we look back at the era of exciting change under the leadership of Dr. Forbes. His time at RDC began with significant political and social challenges for the College and for post-secondary nationwide, but Red Deer College emerged stronger and more unified in its mission, thanks to the leadership of Dr. Forbes.

Here, our alumni reflect on his legacy:

“I met Dr. Forbes in April of 1976, when I was elected Students’ Association President for the upcoming 1976/77 academic year. My fondness for the man began with that first handshake, and a deep friendship ensued, which lasted until we lost contact many years later. Bill was a prince of a man, and his passing leaves a world diminished in class and brilliance.

Bill must have loved his position at RDC. I say that because I was present on one occasion when he was more or less offered a prestigious appointment to head a major Canadian university….he declined. His ability to attract the attention of the movers and shakers of the time, Peter Lougheed, to name only one, did not go unnoticed. For that gift of his, we may all enjoy large integral parts of this campus, including the Arts Centre.

Anyone who was lucky enough to spend time with Bill appreciated how he treated everyone, from support staff to the Premier, with the same respect and friendly, open manner. He had a smile that would melt the heart of the toughest adversary, of which we encountered very few. I loved this man and will always hold a place in my heart for his memory.”

“To say that I owe my professional career to Dr. Bill Forbes, on the one issue of university transfer admissions, is not an understatement. His intervention directly affected a significant group of students in 1975 and protected the ongoing process of university transfer at a time when the senior institutions were challenging it.

Dr. Bill Forbes was a professional in every way: a man who could have been authoritative but engaged and developed those around him. His commitment to high standards was not clear from his quiet manner, but quickly one understood there was a standard and expectation in every aspect of the administration.

Dr. Forbes was the same in public, in private and in the difficult parts of the role of rebuilding an institution… He was very well prepared on every issue, and he understood unintended consequences as only a person with a scientific background can.”

“Dr. Forbes was instrumental in the construction of the RDC Arts Centre, and he forever changed the way that our senior administration and student leaders work together. He played an integral part in helping to shape the future of RDC, including setting the groundwork for us to become a university. He made our College an aspirational educational centre for so many students.”

“I have a very fond memory of Dr. Forbes from my days at RDC. It was from ’77 to ‘79, and I was in the Pre-Professional transfer program, taking Pre-Dentistry courses. This was right around the same time that university transfer courses had just begun, where small town kids (I grew up in Rimbey) could attend RDC in a Pre-Professional program and then apply for admission to a university.

There were about 12 of us in the Pre-Professional programs then, and our acceptance rate into our chosen future professions was very high: three got accepted into Medicine, two into Dentistry and one into Veterinary Medicine. I don’t think any of us realized how big of a deal that was for RDC until the President, Dr. Bill Forbes, offered to take us out for lunch as a way of showing how proud he was of our accomplishments. Looking back, we should have been as equally proud of his efforts at ensuring RDC would be able to offer programs that were totally transferable to a university.

In hindsight, I believe, he started the vision of one day, RDC becoming a university. Fast forward about 40 years and that is indeed what has happened. He was a great leader for RDC at an important time. I was lucky to have known him and have benefitted from the leadership he exemplified.”

“I was a student, who, in addition to taking classes and playing on the volleyball, bowling, and curling teams, worked as many hours as I could to pay my way through College. I never had any direct dealings with Dr. Forbes. I was not on Student Council, and I was not on Academic Council or Admin Council, but I remember Dr. Forbes clearly. I remember his warm smile, his stopping and talking to students and staff, his compassionate regard for staff and students. Everyone knew Bill Forbes, and everyone liked him.

It is rare to meet people today who command such high regard from everyone with whom they have contact, but Bill Forbes was one of those people.”

To read more from these and other alumni and colleagues of Dr. Forbes, please visit rdc.ab.ca/notebook/billforbes