Hamden L. Forkner (1897-1975) was an American educator and writer who created Future Business Leaders of America, an educational organization for high school and college students, and developed the Forkner shorthand system for taking dictation.
Forkner, a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, was the head of the business and vocational education department at Teachers College, Columbia University from 1937 to 1958. During his career, he was also president and permanent honorary vice president of the International Society for Business and Economic Education, and directed technical education surveys for the governments of the Dominican Republic and Mexico.[1]
As an author, Forkner wrote the books “20th Century Bookkeeping & Accounting” (1940, co-authored with Alva Leroy Prickett), “Correlated Dictation and Transcription: Pitman Edition” (1946, co-authored with Agnes E. Osborne and James E. O’Brien), “Developing a Curriculum for Modern Living (1954, co-authored with Florence B. Stratmeyer), and “Study Guide for Forkner Shorthand” (1965, co-authored with Jean G. Hanna and published by his Forkner Publishing Company).[2][3]