Reno Gazette Journal
Novemeber 09, 2004
Obituaries
VIVIAN LAVERNE ZIMMERMAN FOREST
Longtime Washoe County teacher, Laverne Forest, 78, of Sparks Nevada died on November 5, 2004. Born on December 23, 1925, in Lucerne Mines, Pennsylvania, LaVerne was "the best Christmas present I ever had," according to her mother. Her father, George Emery Zimmerman worked as a coal miner and her mother, Vivian Genevieve was the first female in her family to obtain a college degree. LaVerne attended high school in Homer City, Pennsylvania and went on to graduate from Indiana University in Indiana, Pennsylvania. After completing her degree in Education in 1948, she moved to San Diego, California to be near her mother and brother Bob. While teaching in San Diego, she met her husband, Robert Forest who was stationed there with the Navy. They married on November 21, 1951.
When Bob left the Navy, he and LaVerne moved to Golden, Colorado where she taught school while he obtained a degree in Geologic Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. During this time, their first child, Carol was born. After Bob's graduation in 1956, Bob and LaVerne moved to Chuquicamata, Chile, where Bob worked for the Anaconda Copper Company. Their second child, Michael, was born in a tiny hospital in "Chuqui" in 1957. LaVerne and Bob lived in Chuquicamata for two years. Their third child, Mark was born in Denver in 1959 while Bob was working for Rico Argentine Mining Company at Rico, Colorado. Bob went to work for Phillips Petroleum in Grants, New Mexico in 1960. After living in New Mexico for 5 years, Phillips relocated Bob and LaVerne to Reno, Nevada in the summer of 1965. It was in Reno that LaVerne returned to her teaching career, beginning at Vaughn Junior High School in 1967. She taught for a few years at Clayton Junior High School before joining the faculty at Reno High School in 1971. She retired from Washoe County School District after teaching in the District for 27 years.
During LaVerne's years of teaching, she distinguished herself as one of Washoe County School District's most caring, innovative, and hard-working teachers. As a Journalism instructor and advisor to the school newspaper at Reno High, she stood up for the constitutional right of Freedom of the Press for her students. Although she was small and soft-spoken, LaVerne had a will of iron and would not back down to pressure from school administrators who wanted to censor some of the articles published by her students. Because of her work to preserve journalistic freedom, some of her close colleagues called her "Mrs. Graham," alluding to Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post during the Watergate era. LaVerne was named "Civil Libertarian of the Year" in 1987 by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1989, she was the recipient of a Medal of Merit from the Journalism Education Association, and the JEA also honored her in 1995 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her family always strove to make her proud of them. We were always so very proud of her.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 11, 2004 at Ross, Burke and Knobel at 2155 Kietzke Lane in Reno from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. The memorial service will be on November 12, 2004 at 2:00 P.M. at Ross, Burke and Knobel .
Novemeber 09, 2004
Obituaries
VIVIAN LAVERNE ZIMMERMAN FOREST
Longtime Washoe County teacher, Laverne Forest, 78, of Sparks Nevada died on November 5, 2004. Born on December 23, 1925, in Lucerne Mines, Pennsylvania, LaVerne was "the best Christmas present I ever had," according to her mother. Her father, George Emery Zimmerman worked as a coal miner and her mother, Vivian Genevieve was the first female in her family to obtain a college degree. LaVerne attended high school in Homer City, Pennsylvania and went on to graduate from Indiana University in Indiana, Pennsylvania. After completing her degree in Education in 1948, she moved to San Diego, California to be near her mother and brother Bob. While teaching in San Diego, she met her husband, Robert Forest who was stationed there with the Navy. They married on November 21, 1951.
When Bob left the Navy, he and LaVerne moved to Golden, Colorado where she taught school while he obtained a degree in Geologic Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. During this time, their first child, Carol was born. After Bob's graduation in 1956, Bob and LaVerne moved to Chuquicamata, Chile, where Bob worked for the Anaconda Copper Company. Their second child, Michael, was born in a tiny hospital in "Chuqui" in 1957. LaVerne and Bob lived in Chuquicamata for two years. Their third child, Mark was born in Denver in 1959 while Bob was working for Rico Argentine Mining Company at Rico, Colorado. Bob went to work for Phillips Petroleum in Grants, New Mexico in 1960. After living in New Mexico for 5 years, Phillips relocated Bob and LaVerne to Reno, Nevada in the summer of 1965. It was in Reno that LaVerne returned to her teaching career, beginning at Vaughn Junior High School in 1967. She taught for a few years at Clayton Junior High School before joining the faculty at Reno High School in 1971. She retired from Washoe County School District after teaching in the District for 27 years.
During LaVerne's years of teaching, she distinguished herself as one of Washoe County School District's most caring, innovative, and hard-working teachers. As a Journalism instructor and advisor to the school newspaper at Reno High, she stood up for the constitutional right of Freedom of the Press for her students. Although she was small and soft-spoken, LaVerne had a will of iron and would not back down to pressure from school administrators who wanted to censor some of the articles published by her students. Because of her work to preserve journalistic freedom, some of her close colleagues called her "Mrs. Graham," alluding to Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post during the Watergate era. LaVerne was named "Civil Libertarian of the Year" in 1987 by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1989, she was the recipient of a Medal of Merit from the Journalism Education Association, and the JEA also honored her in 1995 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her family always strove to make her proud of them. We were always so very proud of her.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 11, 2004 at Ross, Burke and Knobel at 2155 Kietzke Lane in Reno from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. The memorial service will be on November 12, 2004 at 2:00 P.M. at Ross, Burke and Knobel .
Reno Gazette Journal
Novemeber 09, 2004
Obituaries
VIVIAN LAVERNE ZIMMERMAN FOREST
Longtime Washoe County teacher, Laverne Forest, 78, of Sparks Nevada died on November 5, 2004. Born on December 23, 1925, in Lucerne Mines, Pennsylvania, LaVerne was "the best Christmas present I ever had," according to her mother. Her father, George Emery Zimmerman worked as a coal miner and her mother, Vivian Genevieve was the first female in her family to obtain a college degree. LaVerne attended high school in Homer City, Pennsylvania and went on to graduate from Indiana University in Indiana, Pennsylvania. After completing her degree in Education in 1948, she moved to San Diego, California to be near her mother and brother Bob. While teaching in San Diego, she met her husband, Robert Forest who was stationed there with the Navy. They married on November 21, 1951.
When Bob left the Navy, he and LaVerne moved to Golden, Colorado where she taught school while he obtained a degree in Geologic Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. During this time, their first child, Carol was born. After Bob's graduation in 1956, Bob and LaVerne moved to Chuquicamata, Chile, where Bob worked for the Anaconda Copper Company. Their second child, Michael, was born in a tiny hospital in "Chuqui" in 1957. LaVerne and Bob lived in Chuquicamata for two years. Their third child, Mark was born in Denver in 1959 while Bob was working for Rico Argentine Mining Company at Rico, Colorado. Bob went to work for Phillips Petroleum in Grants, New Mexico in 1960. After living in New Mexico for 5 years, Phillips relocated Bob and LaVerne to Reno, Nevada in the summer of 1965. It was in Reno that LaVerne returned to her teaching career, beginning at Vaughn Junior High School in 1967. She taught for a few years at Clayton Junior High School before joining the faculty at Reno High School in 1971. She retired from Washoe County School District after teaching in the District for 27 years.
During LaVerne's years of teaching, she distinguished herself as one of Washoe County School District's most caring, innovative, and hard-working teachers. As a Journalism instructor and advisor to the school newspaper at Reno High, she stood up for the constitutional right of Freedom of the Press for her students. Although she was small and soft-spoken, LaVerne had a will of iron and would not back down to pressure from school administrators who wanted to censor some of the articles published by her students. Because of her work to preserve journalistic freedom, some of her close colleagues called her "Mrs. Graham," alluding to Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post during the Watergate era. LaVerne was named "Civil Libertarian of the Year" in 1987 by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1989, she was the recipient of a Medal of Merit from the Journalism Education Association, and the JEA also honored her in 1995 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her family always strove to make her proud of them. We were always so very proud of her.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 11, 2004 at Ross, Burke and Knobel at 2155 Kietzke Lane in Reno from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. The memorial service will be on November 12, 2004 at 2:00 P.M. at Ross, Burke and Knobel .
Novemeber 09, 2004
Obituaries
VIVIAN LAVERNE ZIMMERMAN FOREST
Longtime Washoe County teacher, Laverne Forest, 78, of Sparks Nevada died on November 5, 2004. Born on December 23, 1925, in Lucerne Mines, Pennsylvania, LaVerne was "the best Christmas present I ever had," according to her mother. Her father, George Emery Zimmerman worked as a coal miner and her mother, Vivian Genevieve was the first female in her family to obtain a college degree. LaVerne attended high school in Homer City, Pennsylvania and went on to graduate from Indiana University in Indiana, Pennsylvania. After completing her degree in Education in 1948, she moved to San Diego, California to be near her mother and brother Bob. While teaching in San Diego, she met her husband, Robert Forest who was stationed there with the Navy. They married on November 21, 1951.
When Bob left the Navy, he and LaVerne moved to Golden, Colorado where she taught school while he obtained a degree in Geologic Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. During this time, their first child, Carol was born. After Bob's graduation in 1956, Bob and LaVerne moved to Chuquicamata, Chile, where Bob worked for the Anaconda Copper Company. Their second child, Michael, was born in a tiny hospital in "Chuqui" in 1957. LaVerne and Bob lived in Chuquicamata for two years. Their third child, Mark was born in Denver in 1959 while Bob was working for Rico Argentine Mining Company at Rico, Colorado. Bob went to work for Phillips Petroleum in Grants, New Mexico in 1960. After living in New Mexico for 5 years, Phillips relocated Bob and LaVerne to Reno, Nevada in the summer of 1965. It was in Reno that LaVerne returned to her teaching career, beginning at Vaughn Junior High School in 1967. She taught for a few years at Clayton Junior High School before joining the faculty at Reno High School in 1971. She retired from Washoe County School District after teaching in the District for 27 years.
During LaVerne's years of teaching, she distinguished herself as one of Washoe County School District's most caring, innovative, and hard-working teachers. As a Journalism instructor and advisor to the school newspaper at Reno High, she stood up for the constitutional right of Freedom of the Press for her students. Although she was small and soft-spoken, LaVerne had a will of iron and would not back down to pressure from school administrators who wanted to censor some of the articles published by her students. Because of her work to preserve journalistic freedom, some of her close colleagues called her "Mrs. Graham," alluding to Katharine Graham, the publisher of the Washington Post during the Watergate era. LaVerne was named "Civil Libertarian of the Year" in 1987 by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1989, she was the recipient of a Medal of Merit from the Journalism Education Association, and the JEA also honored her in 1995 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her family always strove to make her proud of them. We were always so very proud of her.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 11, 2004 at Ross, Burke and Knobel at 2155 Kietzke Lane in Reno from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. The memorial service will be on November 12, 2004 at 2:00 P.M. at Ross, Burke and Knobel .
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