The Name Game

I was watching tennis this morning and thinking it's a good thing some of these players didn't play a 'team' game because their names are so long they'd go from elbow to elbow on their jerseys and the play by play guys would have a fit pronouncing them.

Then I got to thinking about how important your last name is.

On my last visit to see Mom in Toronto I asked her to sit down and tell me about her extended family. Her Mom. Her Father. Grandfather. Grandmother. Etc. Mom is over 80 years old so I was expecting a foggy memory but it was amazing how quickly and clearly she went back to her childhood and gave me some great insight into how she (I) got to our lives here in Canada.

My Dad died too young for me to be wise enough to ask that same question so I don't have that opportunity to search the other side of the clan.

Luckily he must have had some interest in it too because there was a Genealogy folder in his house when he passed away and it chronicled the "Forbes" legacy going back hundreds of years to Scotland. It's how I know the family credo "Grace Me Guide" and for my former interest in a certain local libation.

A scan through the 'tree' is a fascinating adventure and you can easily dream up some entertaining fantasy from hundreds of years ago that your family members were probably involved in.

I get two questions, mostly about my name.

1) Are you related to the Forbes Magazine family (answer: I wish) and
2) Are you related to Mugsy Forbes (no: but he gets the same one about me)

I'm happy to say the Forbes name carries a quality perception due to what my family has accomplished in our chosen industry.

My late father left us in 1981 and his legacy with CHED and Santa's Anonymous is being recognized in the building of the Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Spirit. (www.jerryforbescentre.ca) As I'm sure you can imagine his image in the business carried brothers Gord and Gerry to an expected height.

The two biggest compliments I ever received were:

1) "The name is as close to royalty in Canadian radio as possible.
2) "The name is synonymous with success."

Thank you gentlemen.

The unfortunate part for the Forbes clan now is that I have two daughters who, when they marry, will most likely drop the Forbes name. Brother Gerry has been banned from having children (I Jest) and that's a good thing. Brother Gord also has a daughter and thankfully a son (Joel) who carries the name. We indeed will put great pressure upon him to have 12 children - all boys - (I don't mean it in a sexist way) so that they can carry the Forbes torch into the next century and so that his children can sit down one day and wonder why a European tennis player would use a hyphenated name that had a letter count well into the 20 digit area and also so that his kids can share a little historical pride in his heritage too.

Your name has 'great' importance and the more you know about it the more it rewards you.

I'm damn proud of the Forbes name and hope you are of yours too.

Ask your Mom and Dad the same question - Grampa and Granny if you can too - and I'm sure their faces will well up with pride when they unfold your interesting path from the past.