Third in a series

Re “Why Forte Was Right Man to Break Barrier”

You can tell by the way he speaks, he is a Texas native.

You can tell by the way he lives and reasons that he was raised – 77 years ago – by traditional parents devoted to traditional religious and moral principles.

Twenty-two years after retiring from the Fire Dept., Mr. Forte, tall and slender, is back in the news.

Over the weekend he was inducted into the African American Firefighters Museum in downtown Los Angeles because he was the first black firefighter – and first black police officer – in the history of Culver City.

As Jackie Robinson had exactly the right temperament to be the first black big league player 70 years ago, Mr. Forte says he was gifted by God and his parents with an ideal blend of genes and temperament.

Genes and temperament tend to delicately crisscross in historically significant personalities such as Mr. Forte.

On a warm bench Downtown, across from City Hall the other day, he opened his barrier-breaking history book.

He relates his story with disarming irony.

“I wanted to get on the Fire Dept. more than the P.D.,” Mr. Forte said.

“I attempted that in ’66 to no avail.

“Because of my suntan, I knew that was why I wasn’t hired.

“I passed the test. I knew it from the front to the back.”

Did Mr. Forte protest?

“I was told I did not pass the test,” he said. “It was pass or fail. I was not told my score.”

Was he confident he had passed?

“I was positive.”

(To be continued)