Forbes Field namesake to be honored by high school alma mater

WICHITA, Kan. (WIBW) - Maj. Daniel Forbes, Jr. will be inducted into his high school’s Hall of Fame.

According to a release from the 190th Air Refueling Wing, Forbes will be inducted into the Wichita North High School Hall of Fame at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 1st at 1437 N Rochester St. in Wichita. Airmen from the 190th will be in attendance.

The Kansas Air National Guard said that Forbes was a U.S. Air Force test pilot who was last stationed at Muroc Air Force Base in California - now known as Edwards Air Force Base. He and his crew were killed while testing a “Flying Wing” jet bomber near Muroc Dry Lake on June 5, 1948. There were no survivors.

On July 13, 1949, the Guard noted that the Topeka Air Force Base was re-named Forbes Air Force Base - now known as Forbes Field - in honor of Maj. Daniel Forbes.

The Guard also indicated that Forbes was born in Carbondale and graduated from Wichita North in 1937. After graduation, he attended Wichita State University and Kansas State University.

The Guard said that the Wichita North High School Hall of Fame was founded in 2005 and each year a committee made up of the principal, alumni, and teachers choose inductees from a list of submitted nominees.

Copyright 2022 WIBW. All rights reserved.