We received the sad news over the weekend that Dick Forrest passed away. Dick is the twin brother to former Carlsbad Mayor Bob Forrest. Dick and Bob were athletic standouts at high school and college. They could have probably gone professional, but they decided instead to pursue the family business and joined Forrest Thomas Tire. The Forrest family became one of Carlsbad’s greatest success stories, and the family’s legacy is tied in very closely with the community’s own history.
Dick Forrest was also in the national news quite a bit in 2006, after then Vice President Dick Cheney accidently shot someone while quail hunting. Turns out, Cheney himself was accidently shot while quail hunting with the Forrest brothers in the 1990s. It was never known whether the accident was the fault of Bob or Dick, but the story certainly drew quite a bit of media attention.
As with all of his family members, Dick was very involved in philanthropy efforts around Carlsbad, especially when it came to youth or athletics. His love for this community was very well known, and certainly well appreciated. We understand funeral services are being planned for Thursday.
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Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Nwanne, who was recently named Vice President of Academy Affairs for Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri. He will start in this new role in June.
Dr. Nwanne played a major role in the history of Southeast New Mexico College. He was in charge of the college during the effort to go independent, and he navigated the efforts to become independent both during and after the complicated transition process, all while still running the college. He then served as interim head of the new college. Dr. Nwanne was extensively knowledgeable about the accreditation process at the college, and many other essential processes. He was also very active in Carlsbad, having served as the local president of the NAACP. While he will be missed, we are thankful to Dr. Nwanne for his many contributions to this community and the college and wish him the best.
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What infrastructure would you like to see in Carlsbad? The City is in the process of developing its Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP), which establishes planning priorities for capital projects. These projects include street and road improvements, water/sewer improvements, public facility improvements and public safety improvements.
There will be a public ICIP meeting at 6 p.m. June 7 at the Janell Whitlock Municipal Annex. You can also submit comments to abtesta@cityofcarlsbadnm.com or drop off comments at City Hall. This is a great opportunity for the public to participate in this important discussion, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway