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A Child's Best Friends
Winters chill bitterly envelops the air. The fine, dusty snowflakes fall down upon the children as they frolic from one end of the yard to the other. The middle-aged gentleman teaches the kids how to build an igloo. Gather the snow into a heap, form the heap into a mountain, carefully dig a tunnel from the outside in. The children burrow into the snow with their frosty hands. All the while, the gentlemans wife is preparing hot chocolate and sugar cookies to be served when the children are done playing.
This winter wonderland was a scene that played out at the home of Stephen and Emma Forbes – and it was just the tip of the igloo. When we were growing up in the 1960s and 1970s Steve and Emma were so good to us, recalls Bob Maney, a longtime family friend. There were 30 or 40 of us kids in the neighborhood back then, and Steve and Emma would treat us all like we were their own.
Bob remembers being 8 years-old when his family moved to Moylan, PA and first met Steve and Emma, who had no children of their own. They would do anything for us kids. They made it a point to know every childs birthday. When that day came, they would take their authentic Chinese rickshaw out of their barn and don these bamboo hats. They would hang a sign on the back of the rickshaw announcing that kids birthday and then Steve would pull the birthday boy or girl around the block while Emma walked beside.
Then there was the bicycle built for two. That was a real rite of passage, says Bob. When one of us would turn 13, he would be allowed to ride on the double bike. That was such a novelty 40 years ago and we all loved it.
In addition to these unique experiences, Steve and Emma would invite the kids over to watch stars from the observatory Steve built in their garage. They hosted Halloween and Christmas parties each year and they always had time for the adults in the neighborhood too. Steve and Emma even paid to have a clay tennis court installed on the land across from their house. It was for the free use of anyone in the neighborhood.
They were fascinating people, says Bob. Married for 64 years, they traveled the world, spoke many languages, and had a passion for music and the arts. Steve Forbes was a physics professor in Freeville, NY before moving to Moylan with Emma. He worked at the Bartol Research Foundation in Swarthmore for many years thereafter.
Other than my parents, Steve and Emma are most responsible for me being the person I am today, says Bob, now the Employee Relations Manager for Penn State and a man with a child of his own.
On February 17, 2003, Steve Forbes passed away at the age of 92. Emma passed away three years later at the age of 90. Many of the children from the neighborhood-some who had since moved quite a distance-returned for their services. Bob and his sister, Suzie Maney-Osborne, even created a website in tribute to Steve and Emma.
But Steve and Emmas generosity did not end with those in their immediate neighborhood. Quietly in 1996, Steve and Emma established the Stephen H. Forbes Charitable Remainder Unitrust. While the Forbes Unitrust would provide income to Steve and Emma during their lifetime, more importantly it allowed them to support a number of charities that they felt especially close to. Recently Lankenau learned that the Medical Center was one of those chosen charities and would receive more than $800,000.
Dr. Thomas Gabuzda was not surprised by this incredible act of generosity. Mr. and Mrs. Forbes were very unique people and they truly made an impression on everyone they came in contact with, says Dr. Gabuzda, who was Steves oncologist/hematologist at Lankenau for over 20 years. Mr. Forbes was so kind and humble. He was a true gentleman. I remember how he would memorize Russian poetry and recite it with such passion – in the Russian language.
Dr. Gabuzda admiringly tells of how Steve would chop his own fireplace wood when he was 90. Mr. Forbes was this tall, lean man who always kept himself in great shape, he says. I was honored to have helped take care of him as he aged with such grace.
While Lankenau welcomes the opportunity to recognize and thank individuals who have made provisions for the Medical Center in their estate plans, it was not aware of Steve and Emmas extraordinary provision and therefore did not have the opportunity to thank them during their lifetimes; however, the Medical Center is now taking steps to appropriately honor them and their gift.
They really felt a strong connection to our neighborhood and obviously to Lankenau, says Charles Ford, one of six Ford kids who grew up near the Forbes home. Some of our fondest memories of childhood are tied to Steve and Emma.