Forrest S. Chilton, Jr. was born in a small town in NY state. When he was 14 he tried to lie about his age and join World War l, but his mother found out what he was doing and went to the recruiting office, grabbed him by the ear, and took him out!

He soon quit school and went to work on his brother's farm. By the time he was seventeen years old, he had married his childhood sweetheart, and two years later their son, Forrest S. Chilton lll war born.

It was not long before he realized that he wanted something more in life, and he and his wife and child moved to his parents home in Brooklyn, NY. While working two jobs, he finished his high school education, went to college, and then on to medical school. Forrest became a family physician, doing everything from delivering babies, all types of surgery, and caring for the sick. His first office was in his sister's home in Lincoln Park, NJ, and then he and his family moved a few miles away to Pompton Plains. During the late l930's Forrest divorced his wife, and soon after married Elizabether Reik, the head nurse of the obstetrics unit at Paterson General Hospital. They had three children, Clive, Suzanne and Tom.

When World War ll broke out, and gas arations were difficult to get, Dr. Chilton opened a maternity hospital in the second and third floors of his office. At this time he began to realize how hard it was on doctors and patients to have to travel to the nearest hospitals in Paterson, NJ. A seed had been planted.

With so many family members in the service, Dr. Chilton decided that he needed to do his share to defend our country, and he joined the US Navy. He was very dissapointed when assigned to Brooklyn, NY, where he had spent many years, and ask to be transferred to an "active" area. So, off to Okinowa he went for the remainder of the war.

Upon returning to Pompton Plains after the war, Dr. and Mrs. Chilton decided to donate a large parcel of land they owned in Pompton Plains for a hospital. Committees were formed, and many people spent years going door to door, putting on variety shows, dances, etc. to get enough money to begin building the hospital. With help from the government, enough money was finally obtained and the Forrest S. Chilton Memorial Hospital opened its doors in l954. It was named for his son who was killed over the English Channel when his plane was shot down in l944, but was in memory of all the men and women who had given their lives in the service of our country. Today (2015) the hospital remains an institution of excellent care, and a proud memory of over 60 years of service to the local communities.

Forrest Chilton (1902)