Jerry Forbes

Jerry Wayne Forbes, 84, of Annapolis, Maryland, passed away on 7 January 2026 at Complete Care Annapolis.

Jerry was born in Oquawka, Illinois, to Mable Minetta Jones and Ernest O. Forbes on 12 July 1941 at home. He was welcomed by his 2-year-old brother Larry. Later, he and Larry were joined by younger sister Linda. The family moved to Galesburg, Illinois, when he was about 6 years old.

He graduated from Galesburg High School in 1959. He married Cynthia Joyce Schleifer on 2 December 1961 in Galesburg. He received a scholarship to and then graduated from Western Illinois University in Macomb, graduating with honors and a degree in physics and a minor in math in 1963.

Also in 1963, he began a career as a research physicist that lasted 33 years at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) White Oak and Indian Head locations. In 1967, he earned an MS in physics from the University of Maryland in College Park. In 1976, he earned his PhD in shock-wave physics from Washington State University in Pullman, with George E. Duvall, a pioneer in the field, as his adviser.

Among his many endeavors at NSWC, he was the material interaction program manager for the Navy’s Chair Heritage Electron Beam Program from 1976 to 1983. In 1994, NSWC awarded him the Doctor George W. Paterson Award for outstanding technical accomplishment. In 1996, he retired from NSWC.

From 1996 to 2003, he lived in California while working for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as the leader of the high-pressure materials group in the chemistry directorate.

In 2003, he moved to Port Tobacco, Maryland, and became a visiting scientist and professor for LLNL and for the Center for Engineering Concepts Development at the University of Maryland, where he taught shock-wave physics graduate-level courses. He also taught graduate-level courses at American University and the University of California, Davis. In 2007, he accepted a job working for the Energetics Technology Center in Waldorf, Maryland, as a senior physicist and consultant. In 2012, he published a textbook for graduate-level students titled Shock Wave Compression of Condensed Matter: A Primer, published by Springer.

In 2015, the American Physical Society (APS) selected him for the George E. Duvall Shock Compression Science Award.

Additionally, he taught technical training courses at NSWC laboratories and LLNL. He published over 100 scientific papers and technical reports. He was well known for his involvement in the APS Shock Compression of Condensed Matter (SCCM) Topical Group, having served as the first secretary/treasurer and later as the chair of the group. He became a Fellow of APS in 1992 based on his technical work on phase transitions and his service to the SCCM Topical Group. He also mentored and befriended numerous young physicists throughout his career.

Jerry enjoyed volunteering for the Port Tobacco River Conservancy, serving as president for several years; fishing with his brother Larry in Duluth, Minnesota; going to the Monterrey Jazz Festival with his sister Linda; playing tennis; and attending local live music shows.

Jerry is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 64 years Cynthia, his daughter Stephanie Jacobs, son-in-law James Jacobs, and son Jason Forbes, all who live in the Annapolis area. He is also survived by his brother Larry Forbes and his wife Donna Peterson of Duluth, and his sister Linda Darnell and her husband Page Cross of Mesa, Arizona, and numerous nieces and nephews.

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