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Former RDC President Dr. William Forbes passes away

Nov 22, 2018 | 3:51 PM

Red Deer College has announced that Dr. William (Bill) Forbes, the fourth president in the college’s history, passed away on November 15.

Forbes came to Red Deer from Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario, and he became RDC President on July 1, 1973.

RDC officials say he was devoted to education and to community service and, while at the College, he mentored student leaders including the Students’ Association executive, because he recognized the importance of student leadership in a post-secondary institution.

Throughout his time as President, the creation of a performing arts centre at Red Deer College was a project he pursued with passion and commitment. Starting in 1974, Forbes and Morris Flewwelling, who was then the Chair of the Arts Centre Steering Committee, spent nine years visiting communities and presenting to organizations throughout central Alberta, discussing the potential and merits of the proposed centre. The project moved from vision to design in the early 1980s, and the iconic Red Deer College Arts Centre officially opened in 1986.