Forest earned a BA in English at Harvard, an MA in English at the University of Wisconsin, and a PhD in Philosophy at Johns Hopkins, and took graduate courses in Counseling Psychology at Northwestern University. For 35 years he taught a variety of courses in English and philosophy, as well as courses in Greek Civilization, Classics in Western Thought, and required MA interdisciplinary courses on various subjects, including the humanities, natural science, and social science.
He co-created and directed a college travel program studying Ancient Greek and Byzantine Civilizations. After retirement he and his wife lived for 10 years in England, where Forest founded the first Great Books discussion group in that country and served as Parish Footpath Officer and secretary of the Alvrchurch Village Society. He and his wife moved to Easton in 2003.
