Brian W. Forman ’75

With the death of Brian Forman on July 7, 2019, the Class lost one of its most loyal members—and one of the kindest. Brian was a regular attendee at Reunions and Alumni Day; it was the eventually fatal infectious complications after total knee replacements that caused him to miss our 44th.

            Brian attended the Island Trees School District of Levittown, N.Y. He worked hard to help pay his way through Princeton, washing dishes at one of the eating clubs alongside future Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor ’76. Initially interested in the Woodrow Wilson School, he decided to major in biochemistry after his father was diagnosed with a rare medical brain condition. His notebooks, which his brother found after his death, were remarkable in their detailed formulae and diagrams. Although he was not able to go on to medical school as he had hoped, he fully enjoyed his undergraduate education.

            For a number of years after Princeton, Brian was a manager and corporate fire code officer for movie theaters such as Loews Cinemas. After that company relocated to the Midwest, Brian, then in his 50s, went back to Pace University to earn a master’s degree in education and became a New York City schoolteacher, fulfilling a longtime dream.

            Brian had a lifelong interest in the arts and music; he had been a thespian and an oboist. Because double-reed instruments are not included in marching bands, he took up the bass drum. He played piano by ear, with the rare ability to play upon request almost any song he heard, and delighted his family with his talent at get-togethers. He also entertained fellow patients as he rehabilitated from his knee surgery.

            As his knee ailments curtailed some of his activities, he began also to make connections through social media with Princeton classmates; friends, new and old, from his hometown school district; and fellow enthusiasts of the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair. Princeton, the Class, and Reunions were always close to Brian’s heart and a great source of pride.

            Brian leaves behind his brother, Daniel, and sister, Honey; nephews Andrew and Gary; and niece Selene. We share their loss.