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[reproduced
from Age Venture News Service]
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Just before
the close of 2001, award-winning architect, Harold H. Fisher, age 100, was
proclaimed “America’s Oldest Worker”. Fisher, a Grosse Point, Michigan
resident, is president of a firm dedicated to religious architecture. Fisher’s
notable achievements have positioned him as one of the nation’s top church
architects.
Born
October 28, 1901, Fisher’s love affair with religious architecture began at
the age of 15 when he earned $2 per day as the apprentice of a church architect
in Uniontown, PA. Still working five days a week at the firm that bears his
name, Fisher is likely the architect with the longest continuous practice in the
nation.
As
the Depression years offered little work for architects, Fisher moved to
Cleveland to live with his in-laws and found work as a property manager until
WWII began. During the war, Fisher supervised the conversion of factories to
wartime production.
Determined
to return to the practice of religious architecture, Fisher moved to the Detroit
area in 1945 and established Harold H. Fisher & Associates. For seven
decades, Fisher has designed hundreds of churches and has been involved with
many more religious facility-related projects, such as renovations, additions,
alterations and consulting services. Honored many times for his work, Fisher
received the Edward S. Frey Award in 1992, the highest given nationally for
achievement in ecclesiastical design.
According
to Fisher, his biggest challenge is “constantly desiring to improve present
designs and preserve classical beauty that is otherwise cost-prohibitive in
today’s market.” As an architect, Fisher believes his overall contribution
has been to “provide houses of worship for thousands of people. I take great
joy in creating artistic simplicity in church design, which I hope will help
bring people into the church.”
Married
to Maria Fisher, this father of nine children has 22 grandchildren and six
great-grandchildren. To keep in good physical shape, he works out at a local
health club. To keep his mind in shape, he works 6-8 hours a day in his office,
creating and designing churches. “Your brain is like a muscle,” says Fisher,
“If you don’t exercise it vigorously, it becomes weak.”
Deeply
honored at being recognized as America’s Oldest Worker in 2001, Mr. Fisher
credits his work for his longevity. “When you find something you love to
do,” he says, “it keeps you alive.”
Green
Thumb Inc. launched the National Prime Time Awards program in 1998 to highlight
the outstanding contributions and achievements that senior workers make in their
communities and places of work. Green Thumb is a non-profit organization
with offices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. For more information
about Green Thumb, now called “Experience Works”, visit www.experienceworks.org.
David
Demko reports on lifestyle issues and trends in Aging America.
Comments may be sent directly to him at: demko@demko.com. This
column may be used, free-of-charge, by print and broadcast media with the
following attribution:“David Demko, AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com” Photo
credit: Toni Delacorte, Green Thumb Inc aka Experience Works.
