Carl Forbes

Carl Forbes, former Chief Engineer for Caltrans, died Saturday, May 10, 1980 in 
Reno from complications arising from cancer.  He was 51.

Services were held Tuesday in the Land Park Chapel of Harry A. Nauman & Son.

Mr. Forbes, a native of Stockton, retired from Caltrans in February and 
afterwards worked briefly in Saudi Arabia for the Bechtel Corp. as a project 
manager on that country’s transportation system.

He held a degree in civil engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, where 
he was selected as the engineering senior of the year in 1948.  He served in the 
Navy during World War II and later received a commission as an officer in the 
Army, serving in Korea.

He began his career with the then California Division of Highways in Bishop as a 
junior civil engineer in 1954 and was transferred to Sacramento in 1963.

Mr. Forbes subsequently earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the 
University of California, Berkley, in 1960.

He served as chief of highway maintenance programming and budgets and project 
development before becoming chief engineer at Caltrans in 1974.  During his 
career, he was responsible for the Tioga Pass project and major work on 
interstate highways 5, 680 and 805.  he also developed a system of maintenance 
management which reportedly saves the state millions of dollars annually.

Mr. Forbes is survived by his wife, Betty Jo of Sacramento; daughters, Janice 
Elaine and Mary E.; sons, Nicolas A. and Scott E.; sister, Virginia Bowman of 
Stockton; and brother Quillan Forbes of Napa.

The family requests that any remembrances be sent to Dr. Lynn Spitler’s melanoma 
Research Project, care of Children’s hospital, 3700 California St., San 
Francisco, CA 94118.

The Inyo Register
Bishop, Inyo County, California
Thursday, May 15, 1980 – Page B-4.

Transcribed by Laura M. Bybee for Inyo County GenWeb, 14 November 2005