John Forlines, a former member of the Board of Trustees and the former president of the Duke Alumni Association, passed away Tuesday at the age of 92.
Forlines, Trinity ’39, first became familiar with the University growing up just blocks from East Campus. At the age of 10, he became a batboy mascot for Duke’s baseball team.
In addition to a one year term as president of DAA from 1970 to 1971, Forlines was a Trustee from 1974 and 1990. He was also a member of the board of the Duke Management Company—the organization that manages the University’s endowment.
John Forlines, a former member of the Board of Trustees and the former president of the Duke Alumni Association, passed away Tuesday at the age of 92.
“John Forlines was devoted to Duke his entire life, which coincided with the birth and growth of the University,” said President Richard Brodhead in a Duke news release. “He has served Duke as a student, a volunteer, a trustee, a fundraiser, an ambassador and as the president of the Alumni Association. No one has done so much for this university, in so many ways.”
Duke named the Alumni House after Forlines in 2009 to honor his service to the University. The building, located on Chapel Drive, had previously served as the home of President Robert Flowers and Undergraduate Admissions before it was taken over by the Office of Alumni Affairs in 1976.
Beyond his contributions to Duke, Forlines was a notable business leader in North Carolina. He was named to the North Carolina Banking Hall of Fame as well as the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame. Serving as the leader of the Bank of Granite for 52 years, Forlines turned the small business into one of the most profitable banks in the country, according to the news release.
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