Michael Aldrich Forrester, a third-generation owner of the former EO Media Group, died Feb. 3 in Bend at the age of 86. During his long career with the company, Forrester was editor of The Daily Astorian, the East Oregonian and the Capital Press, of which he was also publisher.

His death came at the end of a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

Born in Corvallis in September 1938, Forrester was the son of J.W. Forrester and Eleanor Aldrich Forrester. Eleanor and her sister Amy gave birth on the same day. That cousin, Jacqueline Bedford Brown, preceded Mike in her 2009 death.

Mike Forrester was a graduate of Pendleton High School, class of 1956 and the University of Oregon, class of 1960.

A unique aspect of Forrester’s education was his appointment as a United States Senate page. Sponsored by Oregon Sen. Richard L. Neuberger, Forrester was the first Senate page from Oregon in 40 years.

In later years, he spoke of observing Vice President Richard Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy up close. Drawn to Kennedy’s charisma, Forrester organized Students for Kennedy at the University of Oregon during the presidential campaign of 1960. Speaking in 2015 to Kathy Aney of the East Oregonian, Forrester described being with Kennedy on the campaign trail for a day in Albany and at Oregon State University.

“At Gill Coliseum, everything I was doing was kind of by the seat of my pants, and so I tried to poke fun at the idea of an Oregon student introducing him at Oregon State. I kind of searched for words and finally said, ‘but one thing we can agree on’ and I heard in the back Kennedy say, ‘That’s a good one.’ He was approving of the line I used.”

Theater was one of Forrester’s academic pursuits. At Pendleton High School, he played the Stage Manager in a production of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” His cousin Jacquie played the role of Mrs. Gibbs. At the university, Mike performed in George Bernard Shaw’s “Man and Superman.”

Track was Forrester’s sport. At Oregon he ran the hurdles for two years for the legendary coach Bill Bowerman. Forrester was awarded the Doyle Higdon award, which recognized accomplishment in athletics and academics.

On the track team and on the staff of the Oregon Daily Emerald, Forrester was a contemporary of Phil Knight, later a founder of Nike. Forrester was co-editor of the Emerald in his junior year. Knight was in the newspaper’s sports department.

Prior to joining the family company, Forrester worked for the Coos Bay World, the Eugene Register-Guard and The Associated Press in Los Angeles. The AP sent Forrester to Los Angeles International Airport to interview Cassius Clay, prior to his becoming Muhammad Ali.

He became editor of The Daily Astorian Jan. 1, 1969.

“Mike gave the paper a new look,” said Steve Forrester, his brother. “He was particularly proud of his editorial, ‘Why this newspaper will not endorse Richard Nixon.’” Forrester described his Astoria newsroom experience to Aney: “At the Astorian, I had a young group of reporters. We had fun together. We were close in age and orientation.”

Mike married Mary Buchanan Gramson of Warrenton. They had a son, Robert Aldrich Forrester, and Mike adopted Melissa Gramson.

In a family switch in roles in 1973, Mike’s family went to Pendleton, where he became editor of the East Oregonian, and his father and mother came to Astoria, where J.W. Forrester became the Astorian’s editor.

Describing his newsroom management style to Aney, Forrester said: “I had a type A personality and a lot of journalistic passion. I loved it so much. I overdid things. I put in long hours. I was pretty obsessive/compulsive.

“I regret I was hard on journalists and didn’t trust their instincts. They did good work.”

After 17 years in Pendleton, Forrester moved to Salem to become editor of the Capital Press, which the family had recently acquired. While in Pendleton, Mike and his wife Mary were divorced.

In Salem in 1989, Mike married Pamela Holfert Collins. In retirement, Mike and Pam moved to Pendleton. In 2019, they moved to Bend to be closer to Pam’s son Timm Collins and his family. Pam preceded Mike in death in 2021.

He was also preceded in death by his father in 2000 and his mother in 2007.

Mike Forrester is survived by his brother Steve, his children Robert Forrester and Melissa Forrester Norton, grandchildren Osa Forrester Lange and Drew Norton, and by stepsons Timm, Mike and Dan Collins and by nephew Harrison Aldrich Forrester and niece Susan Forrester Rana and their children Zoya Mathis Rana, Taj Edwin Rana, Skye Robert Forrester and Rhody Lee Forrester.