Obituary of Virginia Fisher

FisherVirginia Virginia Waldeck Fisher Virginia Waldeck Fisher, age 98, died Saturday, September 29, 2007 at her home in Pittsburgh, PA. Born July 10, 1909 in Clarksburg, WV, she was the daughter of the late George E. and Della Waldeck Fisher. Miss Fisher was a graduate of Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg. She graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1932 with a bachelors degree in chemistry and later earned a masters degree in secondary education at the University of Pittsburgh. She was a widely recognized high school chemistry teacher in both West Virginia and Pennsylvania, with a teaching career that spanned nearly 60 years. Both her professional and personal lives were marked with an extraordinary commitment to the promotion of chemical education and to the encouragement of chemistry students. Miss Fisher was actively engaged in her profession as a chemical educator. She was a member of the Pittsburgh Section of the American Chemical Society, the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh. She was the initiator of the Pittsburgh Chemistry Olympics for high school chemistry students and was a leader in bringing the International Chemistry Olympiad to Pittsburgh in 1992. She received numerous awards and recognitions for her work in chemical education and was the author of several publications, including books on the Pittsburgh Chemistry Olympics and on Dr. Nicholas Hyma, her chemistry professor at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Miss Fisher was very active in the alumni programs of West Virginia Wesleyan College. In 1988, she received the West Virginia Wesleyan College Alumni Association’s “Extra Mile Award” in recognition of her efforts to recruit students and to raise funds for chemistry scholarships. She was a founder of the Nicholas Hyma Scholarship Society. She also was a member of the West Virginia Wesleyan College Emeritus Club and a life member of the Wesleyan Society. A life-long member of the United Methodist Church, Miss Fisher attended the First United Methodist Church in Pittsburgh. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 5, 2007 in the West Meditation Chapel at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV with the Rev. Dr. Harold T. Elmore officiating. Interment will follow in the Machaphelia Cemetery in Weston, WV. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either the Virginia Waldeck Fisher Memorial Scholarship or the Nicholas Hyma Scholarship Fund for Chemistry Students at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, WV 26201. Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home in Buckhannon is handling the funeral arrangement. Funeral Service 2:00 PM, Friday, October 5, 2007 West Meditation Chapel, WVWC Burial Machpelah Cemetery