In Memoriam: John Forney

John Forney

September 24, 1927 – January 23, 2024

John Forney, the first director of the Cornell University Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake, New York, passed away peacefully in his home with family by his side on January 23, 2024, at the age of 96. He is predeceased by Janet Boles Forney, his wife of 62 years, and son-in-law Kevin (Diane) Proctor. He is survived by his daughters Diane Forney and Arlyn (Ken) Shultis, son Jim (Nanci) Forney, two grandchildren, and one great grandchild.

Forney was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska and later Stanton, Nebraska with his parents John W. and Elizabeth (Latimer) Forney. After high school, Forney attended Iowa State University, during which he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Inchon, Korea. After his deployment, he returned to Iowa State earning a BS in forestry in 1951 and, a year later, his MS in zoology with Ken Carlander. From there, he attended Cornell University, where he studied with Dwight Webster and earned his PhD in fisheries in 1957.

While pursuing his PhD, Forney was recruited to initiate studies of the Oneida Lake fishery. Rather than simply collecting data on the important sport fish populations, Forney's crucial insight led to studies that examined the entire food web, starting with recruitment dynamics, fish early life history, and predator–prey dynamics. From there, studies were expanded to include nutrient inputs, primary and secondary production, and their impacts on fish production. Within the first two decades, Forney had built a program that anticipated much of the direction of research in fisheries ecology nationally and internationally over the following generations. As the field began to examine top–down and bottom–up controls of lake food webs and cascading trophic interactions, Forney brought on Ed Mills and together their Oneida Lake studies were at the forefront of understanding complex lake ecosystems. The rigor and thoroughness with which the long-term monitoring program was established laid the groundwork for continued research into emerging issues related to invasive species and climate change. The continuation of the program he started is the centerpiece of the Field Station's legacy and places Oneida Lake as one of the best understood lake ecosystems in the world.

Forney was formally appointed the first Director of the Cornell Biological Field Station (CBFS) in 1963 and led the station for 30 years until his retirement in 1992. His vision for the lakeshore property as a site for a program of education and research in freshwater ecology and fisheries biology, along with his dedication and energy, set the CBFS on its highly successful trajectory. Forney traveled frequently to campus to ensure that his program was integrated with the larger goals of the department and university. He trained numerous graduate students while studying Oneida Lake and many, like Ed Houde, Rich Noble, and Larry Nielsen, went on to be leaders in the field. He also instituted the CBFS undergraduate intern program (still ongoing) and encouraged the use of the station as a site for field trips by classes at Cornell to take full advantage of the teaching potential of his program and the resources at the station.

While never one seeking the spotlight, Forney was the recipient of numerous distinguished awards during his years as director and beyond. His awards include the following: American Fisheries Society—Most Significant Research Paper Award 1972, Northeastern Division Dwight A. Webster Memorial Award 1983, Honorary Membership 1993, Fisheries Management Section Hall of Excellence Inductee 1997; Oneida Lake Association—Conservationist of the Year 1967, 2020; and New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame Inductee 2020.

Even after retirement, Forney continued his daily commute to the station for the better part of two decades. He took on synthesizing data that he had accumulated over the years and continued to participate in data collection, often at night or on weekends, into his 80s. His continued presence in the field provided valuable insight and experience that could not be offered in writing to those charged with continuing his program. He enjoyed the daily coffee breaks during which the latest fishery issues were often addressed and incorporated into CBFS programs.

Forney's love for the outdoors and the resources it provided began at an early age as evidenced by the many photos depicting stringers of squirrels, fish, and fowl that ended up on the dinner table. Later in life, he enjoyed sharing his love of the outdoors with his family, so much so that at young ages his children would often educate the older college students on fish identification during their summers at the field station. Camping and backpacking were also popular family events with numerous trips to the Rocky Mountains and Adirondacks. Forney continued to hunt and fish into his later years as well as manage timber stands, first at the field station, and then at the property he moved to after retirement. Forney was also a voracious reader, which allowed him to contribute to nearly any conversation in an insightful way.

Forney was a patient man and generous with his time. He was humble and quietly humorous. But most of all, he was dedicated to his family, and to his work, and will be sorely missed.