The Life and Legacy of Senator James Forrester

Family policy matters in engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Ralston, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed and encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will fall better equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and nation. Thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters. We have a great show for you today.

Having spent well over 20 years as a registered lobbyist in North Carolina, I can attest to the fact that service in public office, and especially the pressure cooker environment of the state legislature and bring out the best in some people and the worst in others over the years we've had the great privilege of working with some incredible statesmen and states women and we've also seen our share of tragic stories and human failures. But today were going be talking about one of North Carolina's great statesman, one of the most important and notable debates in North Carolina's recent history is over the definition of marriage as you may recall, 61% of North Carolina voters voted in 2012 to add the definition of marriage is the union of one man and one woman to our state constitution just three years later, our constitutional amendment along with similar measures in many other states were overturned by the US Supreme Court when it issued its highly controversial ruling in Oberto fell the Hodges which thrust same-sex marriage on our nation into thousand 15. Now one of the great leaders and champions throughout the debate over marriage in North Carolina was State Sen. Jim Forster, who served in the state Senate for 20 years, 1991 until his passing in 2011 Sen. Forster's life is the subject of a new book written by his wife, Mary Frances Forster and Rebecca Anthony. We are so grateful to be joined today by Mary Frances to discuss what we can learn from this modern-day profile encouraged Mary Frances is the founder and current associate state director of North Carolina's chapter of concerned women for America, Mary Frances, walking the family policy matters. It's great to have you with us today. Thank you and right will Mary Frances is we begin why did you decide to write this book about the life and public service of your husband, Sen. Jim Forster where all legislators after exams. Can you tell the story of the story and I'm not sure Jack gave him a rider that I usually write about a sheet and not personal matters.

Very personal story. Think about it paren why not sharing a lot who she help me with consignment America North Carolina and I want you can make me to Don Brown and offering Charlotte very well now you really become the story and and I think you can do it. I need somebody now maybe you could find someone who can be objective and not just the part introduced me to Rebecca Anthony and it was an instant connection. I love her dearly measurable. She's a part of the family. Okay to gather we can do this when he intervened for 18 months before we even wrote a word, but she just knew how to direct and to choose what would be appropriate and to make the format so that's the story mention is we are at the beginning of our discussion to the name of your new book, which is for such a time as this. The life and legacy of Sen. James Forrester in his fight for marriage in North Carolina so Mary Frances what motivated Sen. Forster to take on this fight for marriage, and to remain unwavering in his commitment, despite tremendous opposition and a changing cultural Todd: turning America the land of opportunity.

The booking on the map.

So when they ask why there for marriage that this was something Carolina needed make Carolina was a conservative and realized that he had a tiger that persistence is a part of grace and courage and that repetition is resistance, so he felt like that he really needed to stand for right until he did the right thing because he thought it was the right thing today.

I don't think he ever realized it was going to be such a lengthy process well and it was a very lazy process.

And he remained stalwart throughout that so Mary Frances based on where we are now in.

As I mentioned in my introduction that North Carolina passed the marriage amendment in 2012, only to have it overturned by the US Supreme Court just three years later and it was. Not only North Carolina but of course many many other states across our nation who had added the definition of marriage is the union of one man and one woman in their state constitutions, only to have the Supreme Court strike those down so looking back at all that you and Sen. Forster and others went through in this process all the time, energy, and efforts that were invested in it.

Do you consider his efforts to have been futile, or do you think there was more to it in and it was not a futile effort, whether or not optimally aligned alarm whether or not even seen at the lab, so he felt like that marriage was a common creative God is not to be treated lightly think that he understood that 5000 years of Hebrew calendar. Then one of the bedrock traditional values and now we have less than 3% of the population decided that that was not correct that it was time to change the style that I think he also had the vision to see that repetition does reduce resistance. Don't think the subject is over.

I think it will continue. And now it's not futile where all called when not asked to win the cultural war were asked to defend our corner and I certainly think Jim did that. I think kids are that the physician prepared him for being able to accept Stanley Christ encouraged nobody believe they can apply that there were so many good things that he did we not forget that he created.

To our knowledge, the first health commission for women in the whole United States of America sought for the Highway Patrol and the National Guard and stained by his peers and colleagues remember Jim Gardner and Lieut. government determine its first day he came in here and he began to work as if he'd been here all of the fly's acumen to give a delicate position to learn to assess and simulate information in a hurry and come up with a prognosis that he would bring down that diagnostician was just a party. I was impressed by his courage to stand for what he believed and have to sign that the beacon of light.

Well, I know so many others due to having the opportunity to work with them for 15 years at the legislature and just to see him operate in that environment.

He had the respect and admiration and the love of so many people there folks on all sides of the political spectrum because he was a man who stood for his convictions number Frances you and Sen. Forster were married for many years. What were some of the keys to maintaining a vibrant and healthy marriage. Especially considering all that both of you had going all you are looking at the marriage amendment is an example. Working together to face on the controversies that she did well early*all this man's ingenuity and his integrity, and you know as far as I marriage for such a long time.

I think it's been 15 persons.

Good communication is absolutely something you must You also must have a feeling of partnership think they're unrealistic to expect that many marriages today and we disagree that terms often it was just mostly gender related.

But we work together and we were partners and I think that said that all he knew that a family was important and he wanted to have a family and family was the most important thing for both of us and everything he did. With that in mind, the foundation for marriage is a very important we were there with that covenant and that commitment is a great testimony on so were talking with Mary Frances Forster who has authored a new book for such a time as this.

The life and legacy of Sen. James Forrester and his fight for marriage in North Carolina so Mary Frances is is we close our conversation today. What do you want people to take away from this book and from the life of your husband, Sen. Jim Forster well now will call Clark to find that we are all intended to be light to others and we are supposed to love our neighbor and were supposed to stand with courage and determination.

This is a perfect example of that. We need to grow models today are young people are young Americans are hungry for role models and he was blind so they take away that there is a calling for them. For each person that reads this and it's up to us to find what our time is to be and I hope that I have found part of mine in sharing his life without absolutely and he and you are such great examples and lights in this world you will have done so much for so many and were so thankful Mary Frances were just about out of time for our discussion. But before we go I want to give you an opportunity to let our listeners know where they can get a copy of your new book for such a time as this. The life and legacy of Sen. James Forrester and his fight for marriage in North Carolina I and my family by Anton now has a five star rating on any bookstore bonds and I will. I don't have it on the shelf. They can certainly get it for you. We had a lot of book signing event that has been one of the best ways to do it.

Incensed and concerned women for America did endorse the book as well as Dr. Phillips from the milligram Association is easily found when he did something about found but with the pandemic that has been hard that you can get from any bookstore you can dedicate time on the back of the car that was in pandemic and not been quite as easy. Some of our book signing that actually had one in Bali all the legislators did get a copy of the book complements and concerned women for America and so that they could find that book hope that our book signings will continue. We had one in Raleigh will have we had one in Greenbelt Maureen Wilmington timeline and then to Florida to California book is available it might not be on every bookshelf because of the pandemic and other circumstances with books anymore but waiting more than, in fact, that they will make an effort to get this book and read it. I believe that they will enjoy it. It's a good read. It has humor and love as Christ see everything in a novel that this is just a real story so I would encourage everyone to read it and share with me, they can find me on the website with concerned women for America under the state of North Carolina and share their good comments. I'm welcome to them. It's like you cannot book and encourage your listeners to get a copy of it for yourselves and read it for such a time as this. The life and legacy of Sen. James Forrester and his fight for marriage in North Carolina and without new Frances Forster I want to thank you so much for being with us on family policy matters and jobless listing family policy matters. We hope you enjoyed the program and plenitude in again next week to listen to the show online and to learn more about NC families work to inform, encourage and inspire families across from Carlotta. Our website it NC family.work that's NC family.org.

Thanks again for listening and may God bless you and your family