UT alumnus and war veteran honored with award

July 14, 2010 | Features, UToday
By Kate Wente



Andrew “Bud” Fisher is a U.S. Army veteran, University of Toledo alumnus, author and dedicated volunteer.

Bud Fisher, left, holds a copy of his book, “What a Time it Was: Interviews With Northwest Ohio Veterans of World War II,” which includes an interview with Alvin Dickson, right, who received a bronze star for his service.

Bud Fisher, left, holds a copy of his book, “What a Time it Was: Interviews With Northwest Ohio Veterans of World War II,” which includes an interview with Alvin Dickson, right, who received a bronze star for his service.

Numerous people know Fisher as the author of the book, What a Time It Was: Interviews With Northwest Ohio Veterans of World War II. This time, Fisher is being recognized for his volunteer work with the Veterans History Project by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) with its Community Service Award.

Founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the DAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children.

Representing the greater Toledo area, the Fort Industry DAR gives the Community Service Award to a person in recognition of outstanding historical and patriotic service in the community.

Fisher has done that and more, according to Bev St. Claire, a representative for the Fort Industry DAR.

“Bud has spoken at our chapter events and meetings in the past, and we were just very moved by what he has done,” St. Claire said. “We do not give out this award every year, but this year we decided he was most-deserving.”

For years, Fisher has worked closely with the Veterans History Project, which is a joint effort between The University of Toledo and the Library of Congress in Washington.

He conducted some 500 interviews with American war vets. From those, 80 interviews with WWII veterans were compiled into his book, What a Time It Was. Recordings of the interviews are housed in UT’s Ward M. Canaday Center of Special Collections in Carlson Library and the Library of Congress.

“Preserving the histories of the nation, community and families is my main goal,” Fisher said.

“I truly enjoy it and was very surprised when I found out that I had won the award. The DAR is a wonderful organization and it is an honor to be recognized by them.”

Members of the DAR organization volunteer more than 60,000 hours annually to veteran patients, award more than $150,000 in scholarships and financial aid each year to students, and support schools for the underprivileged with annual donations exceeding $1 million.

As one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country, DAR boasts 165,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the United States and internationally.

In addition to the DAR’s Community Service Award, Fisher was recognized by the Library of Congress in 2002 for collecting the veteran’s stories.

And in 2005, he received the Jefferson Award, a national honor that recognizes volunteers in most major communities. That same year, Fisher received an outstanding alumnus award from University College.

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