Bo and Sam Forrest
Ladies, you’ve missed your chance. Sam Forrest sailed away quietly on May 5, 2021 after a sudden hurricane of ill health. His final, but long-term, wish was “to have just one more romance.” Alas, that was not to be.
Samuel Shores Forrest, like his bold, finely crafted furniture, was one of a kind.
Born in Mathews, Va., on Jan. 20, 1936, in the depths of the Great Depression, to Lovie Corrine Clinard and Dennis Dryden Forrest, he was steeped in a tradition of individuality and self-sufficiency. After high school in Mathews, Sam joined the U.S. Navy, then attended Richmond Professional Institute (RPI), the forerunner to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Now, a leading public arts university, its identity was cemented in the 1950s and ’60s, when Sam was an integral part of it. He majored in Social Work, served as a parole officer, then returned to study art, where he developed his obsession with furniture design.
Urban Renewal
A new history of VCU explores how the growth of the university and the city of Richmond are inextricably linked
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When the VCU menâs basketball team reached the Final Four in 2011, all of Richmond united to cheer on the team. (Photo by Ash Daniel)
A new history of Virginia Commonwealth University, â
Fulfilling the Promise,â co-authored by a legendary former president, Eugene P. Trani, charts (from 1968-2009) not only the ebb and flow of VCU but also the city of Richmond, whose paths have been inextricably intertwined through good times and bad.Â
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a former Richmond mayor, cites VCUâs progress in a foreword to the book as one of three trends that have led to what he called âa powerful transformation in Richmond during the last decades.âÂ
Lucy Harris Parker
YORKTOWN God sent his angels to encamp around Lucy Harris Parker to clear the highways and byways to heaven (a prayer Lucy always recited before a road trip for safe travels) Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Early Sunday morning, while her son laid at the foot of her bed, Lucy safely traveled to heaven.
Lucy is survived by her son, Billy (Laura); grandchildren, Brent and Brookelyn (their mother, Kim; grandfather, Bill; and great uncle, Steve); sister, Jannie Preddy (Jimmy); and nephews, Glenn Preddy (Joelle) and Jeffrey Preddy (Vickie), and their children.
Lucy was preceded in death by her son, Brent Harris Parker; and parents, Hebert and Mabel Harris.
Joseph Michael Essex, a 1970 graduate of Richmond Professional Institute (VCUâs precursor).Â
This method of capturing ideas or presenting images has a long history, similar to Morris columns covered in advertisements that can be seen in the plazas of European cities. In Holland, there is the âmuurkrant,â literally, âwall [of] news.â
âJohn and I have been involved with wheat pasting posters since our VCU days together,â Carter says. âWe were office mates, have like philosophies. Weâve always been advocates for posting up public messages. Theyâre immediate communication. And you are right, this is a mural city. We looked at this as an opportunity to expand that with more transformative language.â