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.
