CHS grad pursues the American dream

Everyone loves a good success story, but people tend to genuinely cherish such a story if it involves someone from their hometown. Southeast Missouri is fortunate to have more than its share of those stories across many professions, from Rush Limbaugh to Sheryl Crow, just to name a few.

Now we can add Gary Forsee, Sprint's choice for its next CEO, to that list.

Forsee is a proud 1968 Central High School graduate. He played for the basketball team, ran track and was home-room president. He was only here for a few years while attending high school, but he made many lasting friendships.

Forsee, 52, recalls spending afternoons at the Playdium with Procter & Gamble manager Pat Godwin or going to Pilot House with oral surgeon Jay Sheets. He also points to other friendships such as Walter Lamkin, Steve Miesner and John Rigdon. They also are all local folks who have done well for themselves.

"The stories with that particular group are legendary -- or so we remember, and we all contributed," Forsee recently told the Southeast Missourian.

All of those friends speak highly of Forsee, who married a Southeast Missouri State University graduate and has been back to Cape Girardeau for a few high school reunions. They said that, early on, he exhibited a spark that led them to believe he was destined for success. But he did so without pretense and by all accounts he remains grounded.

Now, a long way from the corner of Independence and Caruthers, Forsee is gaining some national attention as Sprint's choice for its president, no doubt one of the most powerful jobs in the telecommunications industry.

His pedigree justifies that decision.

Forsee has an engineering degree and 30 years experience in telecommunications. He has worked in several countries for several telecommunications giants. Many companies would love to have his veteran presence at the helm.

There is, in fact, a bitter public battle for Forsee between Sprint and his current employer, BellSouth, where he serves as the No. 2 executive in Atlanta. The dispute looks like it will be solved only through arbitration.

As for Forsee, he says the Sprint opportunity was something totally unexpected, but an opportunity that he couldn't take a chance on not pursuing. He couldn't pass up the professional opportunity with the personal opportunity to return to Missouri, where Sprint is based. Forsee's friends are sure he'll come out on top. We tend to agree.

We think when Foresee takes over Sprint, he will show everyone that he was worth all the trouble. We'd also like to think his time at our own Central High School has helped him become the man he is.

But, perhaps most important, Forsee has shown us that, through hard work, honesty and vigorous determination, the American dream is available to anyone courageous enough to reach for it.