William I. Forbes III ’64

Bill died April 10, 2026, in Dresher, Pa.  

He came to Princeton from St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Mass., and Episcopal Academy in Lower Merion, Pa., where he participated in the scientific society and played football and lacrosse. At Princeton, he majored in aeronautical engineering, played squash and lacrosse his freshman year, and joined Cloister Inn.  

After four years working on Boeing’s Vertol (vertical takeoff and landing) project, Bill felt a different calling. Enrolling in Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, he graduated in 1972 as one of their first MD/Ph.D. graduates, specializing in otolaryngology. 

Bill opened a solo ENT practice in Saranac Lake, N.Y., in 1977, serving the Adirondack region by opening clinics in nearby towns and serving on the medical staff of the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics. In addition, recognizing the vital need for end-of-life dignity, he participated in founding the region’s first hospice program. In 1990, he joined a practice in Watertown, N.Y., also serving as an interim chief medical officer for Samaritan Medical Center and as a medical director of Jefferson County Hospice, finally retiring in 2017.  

Bill married his anatomy professor, Barbara Louise Frederick, in 1970. Their partnership lasted until she passed in July 2010. He is survived by his sons, David and William, and their families, to whom the class offers its condolences.