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As captain and starting guard on YHC’s men’s basketball team, Forkner was recognized as a hard-nosed defender and great shooter. He also won the 220 low hurdles and 120 high hurdles in the Southeastern Junior College Track Championship.
Forkner attended Woodrow Wilson Law School and began practicing law at age 23. He spent nearly five years as a U.S. Army intelligence officer during World War II,
then returned home to run his father’s realty company.
When he sold a house to Joe Rogers, Sr., in 1955, the two became friends and decided to open a small restaurant. More than 50 years and 1,500 restaurants later, Forkner has become nationally known as the co-founder and first president of Waffle House.
He has also been a nationally ranked golfer on the senior circuit. He was a qualifier
in the U.S. Open and was named Georgia Seniors Champion multiple times—ranking
as high as fourth in the nation. He was inducted into the Atlanta Athletic Club and
Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.
He has served on YHC’s Board of Trustees for more than 25 years and received the
Distinguished Alumni Award for Lifetime Career Achievement in 2009.
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