Zachary Fisher

From the earliest days of his construction career, Fisher was a strong supporter of the U.S. Armed Forces. Prevented from active service in World War II due to a leg injury, Fisher drew on his building skills to assist the U.S. Coastal Service in the construction of coastal fortifications. His patronage of the Armed Forces became an ongoing concern from that time, evolving to occupy increasing amounts of his energies.[6]

In the 1970s, while remaining active in Fisher Brothers, Fisher's commitment to both the Armed Forces and other philanthropic causes intensified still further through his leadership role in a number of major projects. In 1982, Fisher established the Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Armed Services Foundation. Through the Foundation, he made significant contributions to the families of the victims of the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Since then, the Foundation has made contributions of $25,000 to numerous military families who have lost loved ones under tragic circumstances.

In 1990, Fisher and his wife, Elizabeth, founded the Fisher House Foundation, after Pauline Trost, wife of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Carlisle Trost, presented to Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher the need for temporary lodging facilities for families at major military medical centers. The Fishers personally dedicated more than $20 million to the construction of comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel.

More than 91 Fisher Houses now operate at military bases and Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers throughout the nation and in Germany and the United Kingdom. More than 8 million days of lodging have been provided by Fisher Houses since its inception, saving families an estimated $400 million since it began in 1991 . Since the program's inception, more than 335,000 families have stayed in Fisher Houses. These temporary living facilities served as "homes away from home" for families of military personnel who were undergoing treatment at military or VA hospitals.

In 1994, Fisher, in partnership with David Rockefeller, established the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation, which funds Alzheimer's disease research with the goal of finding a cause and cure. The Foundation operates the nation's largest and most modern Alzheimer's research laboratory, housed at The Rockefeller University in New York City.[6]

Fisher also supported the families of New York City firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. Throughout his life, Fisher held a number of posts on a variety of charitable and arts organizations and military charities throughout the country. He served as Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation and was a supporter of the Coast Guard Foundation, the Navy League and other military charities. Fisher also established the annual Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Award for Excellence in Military Medicine.[6]

He was a major supporter of the Metropolitan Opera, Temple Israel, the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs, the George C. Marshall Foundation, the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, the Reagan Presidential Library, the United Jewish Appeal and many other organizations. Fisher also served on the boards of Carnegie Hall and several other institutions and received honorary doctorate degrees from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.[6]