8 BERNADETTE BRUCE, M.B.A. Executive Director, NSU Printing and Publications GENA MEROTH University Archivist, NSU Alvin Sherman Library During World War II, the runways of Forman Field and North Perry Airport were marked with the dimensions of aircraft carrier decks, giving naval pilots the critical training needed to land on an 800- to 900-foot-long floating airbase. According to a 1991 article by Gerry Witoshynsky titled “Bombers Over Broward,” trainees practiced on aircraft like the Grumman Wildcats, Avenger torpedo bombers, AT-11 Kansans, and AT-6 Texan trainers. The level farmland, year-round flying weather, and proximity to South Florida’s coastline made Broward County a strategic choice for the U.S. Navy. After the bombers departed, those same attributes helped ignite a population boom as servicemen and their families settled in the area, drawn to its climate and reasonable cost of living. Today, faint outlines of Forman Field’s wagon wheel-shaped airstrips remain visible beneath the modern campuses that have transformed Davie, Florida, into a hub of education, research, and healthcare. At the circle’s heart lies the William and Norma Horvitz Administration Building, fronted by an oval lawn dedicated on November 11, 2022, as the U.S. Military Service Plaza at Forman Field, honoring the family whose political prowess helped make Nova Southeastern University’s campus possible. A commemorative plaque recognizes Charles R. and Hamilton C. Forman as “pioneers for business, science, and education,” while paying homage to the legacy of their parents Hamilton M. and Blanche C. Forman. FIELD OF DREAMS 60TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE Special credit to Julian Pleasants, author of The Making of Nova Southeastern University, for inspiring much of the content for this article and NSU’s 60th Anniversary Exhibition: INNOVATION. An Army ROTC cadet rappels down the William and Norma Horvitz Administration Building, overlooking the U.S. Military Service Plaza at Forman Field. 1948 1949
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