Alexander H. Forman
May 30, 1947 - July 9, 2009


Marin Group Executive Committee Member and Marin Municipal Water Board President Alex Forman of San Rafael passed away at home on July 9 after a lengthy battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He was surrounded by loving friends and family, including his wife of 30 years, Lauren Vanett. Alex was 62.

Born in Brooklyn, Alex grew up and attended high school in Great Neck, New York, on Long Island. He moved with his guitar to San Francisco at the age of 19 after attending Antioch College in Ohio and working as a community organizer in Boston. Drawn to the music, the spirit of openness and new the possibilities brewing in the Bay Area, he settled in the city during the Summer of Love, where he soon became active in the burgeoning student and anti-war movements.

Alex spent his professional career working in both alternative and western medicine. As a trained acupuncturist, he helped start the Alternative Therapies Unit at SF General--the first integrative health clinic established in a public hospital. He received Masters' degrees in both public health and sociology from U.C. Berkeley and San Francisco State University, respectively. After further medical training at Stanford, Alex became a physician assistant, a career he maintained for nearly 30 years through the time of his death. As a P.A., he divided his time between doing clinical medical research on hypertension at UC San Francisco, where he worked for 15 years; and the Preventative Medicine Center of Marin, where he got great satisfaction seeing and treating patients.

Involved in the civil rights movement from the early age of 13, Alex never stopped working for peace, social justice and, later, a wide array of environmental protection issues. In the 1960s, as a student at San Francisco State, Alex was a leader of the student strike against racial discrimination and worked to open the University to all members of the community. That strike led to the formation of the first ethnic studies department on a US college campus. An activist against the war in Vietnam and the draft, Alex used his passion and charismatic speaking style to provide leadership, inspiration and education to broaden the movement both on and off campus. In the early 1980s, he co-founded the San Francisco Nuclear Freeze Initiative, where he was a mentor to a new generation of activists.

His own activism later led him to support progressive candidates both locally and nationally and to increasing involvement with the environmental movement, primarily through the Sierra Club. He and Lauren moved to San Rafael in 1995, drawn to Marin's great natural beauty and its progressive community spirit.

He joined the Sierra Club in the 1990's and was quickly elected to the Executive Committee of the S.F. Bay Chapter, a position he held from 1996 to 2002. He was also active in the Sierra Club Marin Group, serving on its Executive Committee for 14 years (1995-2009), including two terms as its Chair (2003-2004). 

After working as a grass roots activist for most of his life, Alex decided to run for public office in 2000, and was soon elected to the MMWD's Board, emphasizing water conservation, efficiency and resource protection. Due to his exemplary leadership and perceived fairness, Alex was twice re-elected for four-year terms, running unopposed. Alex's tenure on the Board was characterized by a desire and ability to respect and genuinely listen to the diversity of views on the complex water issues in Marin. An independent thinker, he researched the issues and considered all perspectives before coming to a decision.

Alex brought the same passion he had for the environment and politics to playing guitar, singing, dancing, hiking and being a devoted husband, brother, uncle and friend to many. His enthusiasm, curiosity and genuine concern for others touched the lives of his family, myriad friends, colleagues and patients. Despite a full and active life, he always found time to listen and support those he cared about. His love of life, his infectious laughter, wisdom and intelligence will be sorely missed.

In addition to his loving wife, Lauren Vanett, of San Rafael, Alex is survived by his sister, Dr. Lesley Fishelman of Vermont, and nephews Jules Fishelman (Rachel) of Vermont, and Dr. Mark Forman (Jenny) of Campbell.

Donations in his memory can be sent to the Sierra Club, Save the Redwoods League, or Amnesty International. A celebration of his life is planned for September.