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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly May '95
John Chambers Fischer No.15570 Class of 1946
Died 27 December 1993 in Bristol Pennsylvania, aged 69 years.
Interment: Bristol Cemetery, Bristol, Pennsylvania.
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John was born 20 November 1924 in Trenton, New
Jersey, grew up and attended school there. His brother Dick remembered
John as a quiet, reflective and inquisitive youngster. He always
wanted to know how things worked. After graduation from Trenton
Central High School in 1942, he won an engineering scholarship
to Rutgers University. After a year at Rutgers, John received
his coveted appointment to West Point and joined the Class of
1946 on 1 July 1943.
As a cadet, John is best remembered for his exploits
with the track and cross country teams. He excelled at both.
Roommate Bob Storm remembered, "He truly enjoyed academe
regardless of the subject. He would absorb each discipline well
and come out of his normally reserved personality to discuss
it superbly at length. We appreciated his sincerity and warmth
as we got to know the real John Fischer." Another companymate,
Elmo Cunningham, recalled: "John was highly respected by
his classmates because of his easygoing, friendly nature. We
very fondly called him 'Creeper.' There were two reasons for
this. One, he was so quiet and unobtrusive. The other was his
track skills. Looking at him, you would never guess he was an
outstanding athlete and runner. When he ran, he didn't pound
and thrash like most runners. He seemed to float effortlessly
along." At graduation, John became a second lieutenant in
the Ordnance Corps.
Following basic schooling at Fort Benning and Aberdeen
Proving Ground, Maryland, John was selected to attend MIT in
Boston. After two years of study, he was assigned to Alaska.
From there, he returned to Aberdeen for assignment to the Ordnance
laboratories. In 1951, he went to Japan and on to Korea, where
he commanded the 106th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company. From
Korea, he returned to Japan in 1952 for duty at the Fuchu Ordnance
Depot. His next assignment was at White Sands Proving Grounds,
New Mexico. In 1956, John traveled to Germany for assignment
with the 51st Ordnance Group. He returned to the States in 1959,
assigned to the ABMA Ballistic Missile Division, Aviation R&D
Command in Inglewood, California. It was during that assignment
that John became proficient at square dancing. His brother remembered
that John carried a portable record player and a dozen square
dance records to put on impromptu demonstrations. From California,
John returned to White Sands Missile Range. In 1961, he left
the Army to try his hand at civilian life.
After teaching physics for two years, John received
a master's in math from Trenton State College. He then became
an instructor in the Physics Department, Rider University Lawrenceville,
New Jersey. He continued his love for square dancing and belonged
to two square dance clubs in the Trenton and Princeton area.
He never lost his devotion to physical fitness and ran and swam
daily. He was an avid hiker and mountain climber. When he served
in Germany, he climbed the Matterhorn six times, to include one
climb up the hard side. A member of the Appalachian Mountain
Club, he hiked most of the Appalachian Trail as well at the Muir
Trail. John developed Parkinson's disease and spent much of time
the last two years of his life in the hospital. He died 27 December
1993. He is survived by his sister, Elizabeth and brother, Richard.
John Fischer always will be remembered by his family,
friends and classmates as a true son of West Point. He was proud
to be a part of the Long Gray Line. Always quiet and reserved,
many never got to appreciate the inner strength and greatness
of character that was John Fischer. They couldn't know of or
appreciate his great sense of humor or his love of reading. Those
who knew him are better for that. Elmo Cunningham said, "John's
passing is sad because we so fondly remember him." Bob Storm's
closing comment: "The announcement of John's demise came
as a real shock to me, for I had always viewed him as invincible.
Certainly, 69 was not old. John, with D-1's best spit shine,
now an integral part of the Long Gray Line."
The Class of 1946 is proud to join his family and
friends in stating, "Well Done, John; Be Thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project, his sister, Elizabeth and his
brother, Richard
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