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06/27/11 - NNHS Newsletter - Sarah Forbes
Sarah Elizabeth Forbes
(d. 24 June 2011)
Newport News High School
Class of February 1945 |
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Dear
Friends and Schoolmates,
I am very
saddened today to report of the death of beloved Peninsula physician and
philanthropist,
Sarah
Forbes, Class of February 1945, who was killed in an automobile accident in
Coinjock, North Carolina on Friday, June 24, 2011 at the age of 85.
She was the only
child of the late
Mary
Brock Forbes, seventh grade science teacher at both
Newport News High School and
Walter Reed School.

From Fred Field (June '45) of CA -
06/26/11, 4:33 PM - "
Sarah Forbes":
Hello Carol, Sun.
June 26, 11 copies to Kent Miller, Bill Smith, Charles
Wicke
This in today's Daily
Press.
Sarah was in the NNHS
Class of Feb. 1945.
I'm sure there will be a
lot more to follow.
Fred
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From the Daily Press
- 06/26/11:
Sarah Forbes, Newport News doctor
and former SPCA head; dies at 85

Newport News Dr. Sarah
Forbes, a former
president of the Peninsula SPCA,
is shown with her dogs. (Judy Lowery,
Daily Press / August 15, 2008)
By Austin Bogues
9:47 p.m. EDT, June 26, 2011
Sarah E. Forbes, a well known
Newport News physician, was killed on Friday afternoon
in a car crash in the
Outer Banks.
Trooper David Pearson, a
spokesman for
North Carolina Highway Patrol, said that Forbes crashed
her H2 Hummer into a farm tractor around 4:45 p.m. Friday on
U.S. 158 in Coinjock, nearly 20 miles north of
Kitty Hawk, N.C.
Pearson said that Forbes'
SUV was traveling between 50-55 mph and that the tractor may
have been traveling around 15-20 mph.
She was the first woman to
start a private OB/GYN practice in the city of Newport News.
She was also president of the Peninsula Society for
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Forbes stepped down in
2004 after allegations of financial mismanagement at the
agency.
She was credited with
helping to turn around the Peninsula SPCA from a fledgling
animal shelter to a bustling center with a budget over $1
million.
OH, NO! Fred, this
has upset me more than I can say! Thank you so much for letting me know!
My sympathies on the passing of your classmate.
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From
the Daily Press - 06/27/11:
Sarah E. Forbes
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NEWPORT NEWS - The Virginia
Peninsula and the medical profession lost an icon on Friday, June 24,
2011, when Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Forbes was killed in a tragic automobile
accident. Dr. Forbes would first want to be remembered as a
compassionate physician, who was dedicated to her patients.
Dr. Forbes' extraordinary talents led her to be a successful real estate
developer with her hallmark achievement in Virginia being the Warwick
Medical Center. Her vision for making real estate come alive was
showcased in Nags Head and Currituck County, N.C., and at her famed
Windmill Point Restaurant. |
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Sarah E. Forbes, M.D. |
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Born in Currituck County, she was the only child of Mary Brock and
Dexter T. Forbes. She moved to the Virginia Peninsula in the early years
of her childhood and resided in Newport News until her death. She had a
special bond with her mother who worked as an educator, and took a
second job selling encyclopedias and dictionaries to help put Sarah
through medical school.
Dr. Forbes began her education in local schools, graduating from Newport
News High School in 1945. After obtaining her bachelor's degree from the
University of Rochester in New York, she studied medicine at the Medical
College of Virginia in Richmond. Her perseverance helped her overcome
the challenges of being a woman in the field of medicine at a time when
only one or two women were accepted into a medical school class.
Throughout her life, Dr. Forbes was a woman of many "firsts." Under the
mentorship of Dr. Mason Andrews, she completed her residency in
obstetrics and gynecology, becoming Norfolk General's first female
resident, and eventually chief resident of OB/GYN. In 1958, she became
the first female physician to open a private OB/GYN practice in Newport
News, in which she successfully and lovingly practiced until May of this
year when she retired from medicine.
Dr. Forbes was the first woman to be selected to the board and the first
female president of the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula, where she
was honored as a member of the "Wall of Fame" - the first and only woman
to be so honored in the club's 65 year history.
Sarah was often honored for her contributions to the organizations she
served and the community she loved. Among her many awards were the
Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities' Humanitarian Award in 2007
and the Medallion Award, the highest recognition The Boys and Girls Club
of America presents to volunteers.
Her concern for her patients, affection for animals, and love for her
community led to her engagement in and support of many professional and
community organizations. She served as president of the Virginia
Peninsula Academy of Medicine, the Newport News Chapter of the American
Cancer Society, the Newport News Medical Society, and the Peninsula
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Sarah was a philanthropist. Her generosity has benefited many
organizations, including The Family Planning Council, First Baptist
Church of Newport News, The Peninsula SPCA, the Mariners' Museum,
Riverside Hospital, and Christopher Newport University. Her estate plan
is designed to continue her legacy of caring and sharing.
There was no bigger supporter of CNU than Dr. Forbes. She recognized its
impact on the Peninsula and the importance of its educational mission.
Dr. Forbes provided the lead gift for a new science building at CNU, to
be named for her mother Mary Brock Forbes. Additionally, Dr. Forbes'
generosity will make a bell tower on CNU campus a reality and the bell
will be that of the SS United States, which was donated to CNU by Dr.
Forbes.
Dr. Forbes embraced the historical mission of the Mariners' Museum and
its world class stature, to which she added, not only by her generosity,
but by donating numerous memorabilia from the SS United States. Dr.
Forbes had the vision to rescue and preserve many of the artifacts of
the SS United States, proudly built at the Newport News Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock Company.
Dr. Forbes was a passionate animal lover, especially of her prized dogs.
Her leadership role in helping the SPCA grow and flourish was something
about which she was justly proud.
Pioneer, Physician and Philanthropist, a life well lived and one to be
admired. She will be missed.
A memorial service to celebrate Dr. Forbes' life will be held at 3 p.m.
Wednesday, June 29, at the Music and Theatre Hall at the Ferguson Center
on the campus of CNU.
In lieu of flowers, it is requested that you honor Sarah's memory by
making a contribution to: Boys and Girls Clubs of the Virginia
Peninsula, 11825 Rock Landing Dr., Newport News, VA 23606; Christopher
Newport University, 1 University Way, Newport News, VA 23606; Peninsula
SPCA, 523 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News, VA 23601; the Sarah E.
Forbes M.D. Charitable Foundation, 739 Thimble Shoals Blvd., Suite 105,
Newport News, VA 23606 or to your own favorite charity. View and post
condolences on our online guestbook at
dailypress.com/guestbooks.
Published in Daily
Press from June 27 to June 28, 2011.
Visit Guest Book |
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ABSOLUTELY A GREAT PHYSICIAN AND
FRIEND WHO TOOK SPECIAL CARE OF HER MANY PATIENTS. I THANK HER FOR SAVING MY
LIFE IN 1980. SUCH A TRAGIC END FOR A DOCTOR WHO WAS SO DEDICATED TO HER
PROFESSION AND RESPECTED AND LOVED BY SO MANY.
~ BILLIE PELTON, WALLA WALLA, Washington |
Our sincerest condolences are
extended to all of Dr. Forbes' family, friends, and patients at this
time.

From
the Daily Press - 06/28/11:
Dr. Sarah Forbes
remembered as selfless physician
By Ashley Kelly
10:26 a.m. EDT,
June 28, 2011
NEWPORT NEWS — In
her high school yearbook, Sarah Forbes set the
tone for how she would live her life.
Beside her 1945 senior picture are the words:
"Be a builder, not a boaster."
"She grew up
in an age where women were a rarity in the
medical profession," said E.D. "Buddy" David,
her longtime friend and attorney. "She grew up
in a different world. She was a pioneer."
She was
the first woman physician to open an OB/GYN
practice in
Newport News, but friends say she
cared more about serving others than
basting in her own milestones.
"She never said, 'I did this,' or 'I'm
wonderful,' " said Steven Kast,
president and CEO of the Boys and Girls
Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula. "It was
always everyone else."
Forbes was killed in a car crash Friday
on U.S. 158 in Coinjock, about 20 miles
north of
Kitty Hawk, N.C. Her vehicle struck
the back of a farm tractor that was
traveling at a slower speed, according
to state police. She was 85.
Forbes was also known as a
philanthropist who supported various
institutions, including The
Mariners' Museum,
Christopher Newport University and
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Virginia
Peninsula.
"She was just a tireless advocate for
children," Kast said. "On the surface,
you can see things she did. She was very
generous."
But Kast said it was the small things
that Forbes did that distinguished her
from a typical board member.
"We would have a girl in trouble and she
would counsel them one on one," he said.
"She would follow up day after day."
Forbes was also a very successful
real-estate developer.
"She was very tough, very smart, but
honest," said longtime friend Dr.
Helmuth Trieshmann. "If she made a deal,
she stood by it."
Forbes' memorial service will be
Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Music and
Theater Hall at the Ferguson Center at
CNU.
"There will never be another Dr. Sarah
Forbes," Kast said. "She spent her life
helping other people and building people
up."
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Y'all take good care of each
other! TYPHOONS FOREVER! We'll
Always Have
Buckroe!
Love to all, Carol
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NNHS CLASS OF '65 WEB SITE:
http://www.nnhs65.com
PERSONAL WEB SITE:
http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/cluckmeat
==============================================
Carol Buckley
Harty
7020 Lure Court
Fayetteville, NC 28311-9309
915-780-3048

All Creatures of Our God and King
The words
are a paraphrase of "Canticle of the Sun" by
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/1182
– 03 Oct 1226), circa 1225
Written shortly before
his death, it was not published for almost 400 years.
Translated to English by
William H. Draper (19 Dec 1855 - 09 Aug 1933),
it first appeared in the Public School Hymn Book, 1919.
Music: "Lasst
Uns Erfreuen",
Ausserlesene Catholische Geistliche Kirchengesäng (Köln, Germany: Peter
von Brachel, 1623)
Harmony by
Ralph Vaughan Williams (12 Oct 1872 - 26 Aug
1958) in The English Hymnal (London: Oxford University
Press, 1906), number 519
All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voices, let us sing:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beams,
thou silver moon that gently gleams,
Refrain:
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
O praise him, Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
ye lights of evening, find a voice, (R)
Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
make music for thy Lord to hear,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
that givest man both warmth and light, (R)
Dear mother earth, who day by day
unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise him, Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
let them his glory also show: (R)
And all ye men of tender heart,
forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
praise God and on him cast your care: (R)
And thou, most kind and gentle death,
waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise him, Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
and Christ our Lord the way hath trod: (R)
Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship him in humbleness,
O praise him, Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, Three in One: (R)

"All Creatures
of Our God and King" midi and lyrics courtesy of
http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/a/a100.html -10/06/08
Greg Olsen
Paintings courtesy of
http://gregolsengallery.com –
03/15/05
Divider Line 543 clip art courtesy of
http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/tx5280/lines11.html
- 02/13/11
Navy Seal clip
art courtesy of
http://www.onemileup.com/miniSeals.asp - 05/29/06
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Class of 1965