Remembering THE REV. CANON DAVID FORBES EULOGY FOR THE REV. CANON DAVID FORBES, DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF HIS MEMORIAL SERVICE,
BY HEAD OF SCHOOL BURNS JONES. Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, California | May 25, 2022
FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS, I have been trying my very best to channel my inner David Forbes, or at least a bit of him. I have been thinking that if I could muster some small modicum of his wit, of his intelligence, of his lived experience, of his conviction, and of his depth that I might be up for this challenge. It's a challenge that comes with summarizing the life and influence of a man, who at 95 years of age, could recall in uncanny and vivid detail, every boy who passed through these halls, his background, the complexities of his parents, his accomplishments, and his indiscretions. It's the challenge of describing a geology major who later went on to study theology. It's the challenge of describing a man who could love equally the energy of urban cities and the peace of National Parks. And for me, it is the challenge of describing a man who was as much mythological as he was mortal. I knew of David Forbes before I ever met him. Long before I became involved with Cathedral School for Boys, David's influence, exerted through a variety of forms, had made its way across the country and seeped into the institutions and communities in which I was living and working. There was David the creator; the man known for building great schools, Cathedral School for Boys on this very block and, later, St. Paul's School in Oakland. David recognized the need to create excellent independent schools that were accessible to any student regardless of his or her background and circum- stances. To this end, our David followed in the footsteps of St. David, the 6th century Welsh bishop, founder of monasteries, and churches. Both Davids, the Saint and the Canon, recog- nized the power of the collective over the individual and sought to develop institutions that would contribute to society. There was also David the epistolarian; the man who appeared through correspondence written to the founders of schools, and
in particular Canterbury School, the school in North Carolina that I led before moving to San Francisco. Appreciating David's reputation as a creator of schools, this group had sought David's advice about the creation of their own school. Through a carefully and powerfully crafted series of letters, David extolled the virtues of Episcopal Schools and the essential role of religious formation within them. Rather than serving, merely, as vehicles for professional success, David understood Episcopal Schools as tools for building a better world. There was also David the theologian: the man who appeared through articles and position papers published by a variety of organizations, and especially the National Association of Episcopal Schools. This David implored school leaders to recognize the educational influence of diversity at a time when, for many, its influence and imperative had yet to be fully appreciated. These were the forms of the Reverend Canon David Forbes that appeared to me before I ever met the man. Thus, he was, at least at this point more myth than man, and thus I began to form, in my imagination, the impression of a person, who loomed as large in body as he was in influence; a hulking colossus whose physical prowess both symbolized and embodied his hefty reputation. How interesting it was, then, to meet him for the first time. This meeting took place just a few months before moving to San Francisco. We had arranged to have dinner during the biennial conference held by the National Association of Episcopal Schools. I remember scouring the auditorium, seeking out someone of Dwight Clark's stature yet wearing vestments befitting the Archbishop of Canterbury. How surprising it was, then, to finally encounter David the man, small in stature and because he was well in his eighties at the
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