Harold K. Forsen

Dr. Harold K. FORSEN September 19, 1932 ~March 7, 2012 Beloved husband, father and grandfather passed away unexpectedly March 7th. He was born in St. Joseph, MO, to Mabel and Allen Forsen. In 1952, he married his high-school sweetheart Betty A. Webb. He served in the Air Force from 1951-55. Harold graduated from California Institute of Technology with his B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1959. He went to work for General Atomic in nuclear energy research during which time he and Betty had 3 children. Harold went on to get his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cal-Berkley, graduating in '65. He joined the Nuclear Engineering Dept. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, becoming a full professor. In 1973, he left Madison to join Exxon Nuclear in Bellevue, WA where he became Executive VP and director. While in the Northwest Harold served as president and then chairman of the board for the Pacific Science Center lasting 6 years. In 1981, he and Betty moved to San Francisco to join Bechtel, where he became Senior VP and Manager of the Technology Group. He retired in 1995, making his home in Kirkland, WA, N. Lake Tahoe and Indio, CA. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Nuclear Society. He was on the National Research Council, Governing Board, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1989, where he served as foreign secretary for 8 years.He, more recently, was elected as a foreign associate to the Japanese Engineering Academy. Harold loved skiing at North Star in Lake Tahoe, boating in the Puget Sound, hiking, traveling and being with family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Betty, and his family; John (Gayle), Ron (Debbie), Sandy (Tom), 6 grandchildren, a sister-in-law and her children. A casual memorial will be held at Truckee Community Recreation Center 8924 Donner Pass Road, Truckee on March 24th at 2:00 pm. All donations can be made to the American Heart Association, Harold K. Forsen memorial.