Abstract
The Robert L. Forbuss papers (1945-2011) are comprised of the personal papers of Las Vegas, Nevada educator and businessman, Robert L. "Bob" Forbuss. The collection materials include photographs of Forbuss throughout his life, including his early childhood, as well as some photographs of his mother, Marjorie Forbuss, during the 1940s and 1950s. The collection documents Forbuss's early childhood through adulthood and includes materials such as personal correspondence and Forbuss's baby book. There are also papers documenting Forbuss's professional life including his involvement with local politics and businesses. The collection includes records for J&B Strategic Alliances, LLC., a consulting company that he co-founded with former Las Vegas mayor, Jan Jones.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Robert L. Forbuss papers (1945-2011) are comprised of the personal papers of Las Vegas, Nevada educator and businessman, Robert L. "Bob" Forbuss. The collection materials include photographs of Forbuss throughout his life, including his early childhood, as well as some photographs of his mother, Marjorie Forbuss, during the 1940s and 1950s. The collection documents Forbuss's early childhood through adulthood and includes materials such as personal correspondence and Forbuss's baby book. There are also papers documenting Forbuss's professional life including his involvement with local politics and businesses. The collection includes records for J&B Strategic Alliances, LLC., a consulting company that he co-founded with former Las Vegas mayor, Jan Jones.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Material remain as they were received.
Biographical / Historical Note
Robert L. "Bob" Forbuss was born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1948 and grew up in the Huntridge district. Forbuss graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and worked at Caesars Palace while he attended college and began teaching history and debate at his alma mater, Bishop Gorman High School, after college. Forbuss found work as an emergency medical technician at Mercy Ambulance and later became general manager, and then CEO of the business. Throughout his career Forbuss was active in politics. He first ran for Clark County School Board when he was a teacher at Bishop Gorman High School. He served on the Board from 1979 to 1986. Forbuss also served on the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce starting in 1985 and he served two terms as Chamber president in 1999 and 2000. He remained active in politics through his involvement with the gubernatorial campaigns for his close friend, Jan Jones. Forbuss was a prominent figure for Las Vegas' gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community and he played a critical role to repeal Nevada's sodomy law in the 1990s. Forbuss was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in 2010 and succumbed to the disease in 2012. His presence and legacy continued in the Las Vegas community when the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada moved into the new Robert L. Forbuss Building in downtown Las Vegas in 2013 and with the opening of the Robert L. Forbuss Elementary School in the southwest valley of Las Vegas.
Source:
Davis, Richard. "A Tale of Two Bobs: Bob Forbuss." QVegas, July 2011.
Preferred Citation
Robert L. Forbuss Papers, 1945-2011. MS-00888. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 2018 and 2021 by Dennis McBride; accession numbers 2018-033, 2021-085.
Processing Note
This collection is unprocessed. Materials were arranged by Dennis McBride in 2013. In 2019, Tammi Kim rehoused the collection and created the finding aid in ArchivesSpace. In 2021, Tammi Kim accessioned the 2021 addition and updated the finding aid.