Friday, February 15, 2019

Don Forrester CV (Curriculum Vitae)



Dr. Don C. Forrester


            AHS Class of 1968 classmate Don Forrester became totally blind at age nine, the result of detached retinas.  After learning Braille and other alternative methods, he returned to sighted classes for the remainder of his education.

            Don attended Amarillo College, Tennessee Temple University, and West Texas A&M University.  He graduated from WTA&M in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education.  For the next five years, he taught history and English in high schools in Amarillo and in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

            In 1971, Don and his wife Shirley moved to Chattanooga to attend Temple Baptist Seminary.  He received the Master of Religious Education degree in 1973, the Doctor of Religious Education degree in 1975, and the Doctor of Education degree in 1994.

            In the fall of 1974, Dr. Forrester and his family moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to start a new church.  Faith Baptist Church was organized in January of 1975 and has experienced substantial growth over the years.  Today it has an active program and specializes in educational ministries.  The church sponsors Faith Baptist Schools, enrolling students from preschool through grade twelve, and Virginia Baptist College, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in ministry related fields.

            In March 2011, after serving as Senior Pastor of Faith Baptist Church for 36 years, Dr. Forrester stepped down from that position in order to function full time as president of Virginia Baptist College.  In August of 2014, he retired as president and became Chancellor of Virginia Baptist College.  He currently serves as Pastor Emeritus of Faith Baptist Church and has an active ministry as a teacher and conference speaker.

            In addition to his duties as pastor and college president, Dr. Forrester has also served as moderator of the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists, president of the Atlantic Independent Baptist Fellowship, and seventeen years as president of the Old Dominion Association of Church Schools.

            Dr. Forrester has actively served within his community.  Residing in an area rich in colonial and Civil War history, he served eight years on the Spotsylvania County Historic Preservation Commission.  He was appointed by the Governor to the Virginia Board for the Blind and Vision Impaired on which he served four years, holding several offices including Chairman.

            Dr. Forrester is the recipient of many awards including the Muhlenberg Award from Concerned Women for America and the Roberson-Faulker Leadership Award from his alma mater.