Norman 0. Forness, 73, died at his home in Gettysburg on April 2, 2009. Born on January 5, 1936
in Minot, North Dakota, he was the son of the late Olaf and Mabel [Hall) Forness.

Norman Forness graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958
with a B.A. in History. After earning an M.A. in History from Washington State University in
1960, he continued graduate work at Pennsylvania State University, where he was awarded a
Ph.D. in 1964; he specialized in American social and cultural history during the period between
1789 and 1860, with a particular interest in the establishment of the Department of the
Interior.

In 1964 he began his career at Gettysburg College, where he taught for two years in the
Department of History, served as Assistant Dean of the College, and returned in 1968 to the
Department of History. He retired in 2000, having served on numerous academic cornmittees
and as Acting Chair of the Department of History as well as the long-term advisor for the history honorary society, Phi Alpha Theta. Professor Forness was a member of several professional associations, including the American Historical Association and the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. He published a number of articles and pamphlets, as well as coediting a book, The Historian's Lincoln: Pseudohistory, Psychohistory, and History, with Gabor Boritt.
Professor Forness' interests in architecture and architectural history led him to research and
write about the German architect from York, Pennsylvania, John A. Dernpwolf, who among many other projects had designed Glatfelter Hall on the Gettysburg College campus. He served on the campus landscape committee and took an active role in the planning of Musselman Library on the campus. Forness was also a member of the Historical Architectural Review Board for the Borough of Gettysburg from 1988 to 2009.
Forness was a member of Augustana Lutheran Church in Washington DC. He had written a hymn " Rise Up, 0 Saints of God!" that appears in the Lutheran Book of Worship.
Norman Forness is survived by a brother, Bruce Forness and his wife Marla, of Tacoma,Washington. A brother, Lyle Forness, died in 2008.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25, 2009 at Christ Chapel of Gettysburg College. Rev. J. Vincent Guss, Jr. and Pastor Karl J. Mattson will officiate. A luncheon will be held in the lobby of Weidensall Hall following the service. The Peters Funeral Home, 321 Carlisle St., Gettysburg, is in charge of arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to Pacific Lutheran University, 1010 122nd St, S, Tacoma, WA 98447-0003, or to Augustana Lutheran Church, 2100 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009.

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