As a junior at UT, John Fisher was selected as the first-ever “Volunteer of the Year,” in 1937. The award became tradition and is the basis for UT’s Torchbearer award, the highest award a student can receive. Throughout his life and career, Fisher epitomized the Torchbearer motto of shadowing oneself to give light to others. He was a campus leader and a successful UT athlete, playing baseball, basketball, and running track. After college, Fisher went on to Harvard University for his MBA. He married Janice Ball—daughter of one of the co-founders of the Ball Corporation, which specialized in canning products—and then relocated to Indiana to work for the company.
Fisher worked his way through the ranks for Ball Corporation and retired as its chairman in 1986. When he was hired in 1941, the company had profits of $7 million. When he retired, its profits were estimated at more than $1 billion. He has been described as a kind and principled man who was known for his ambition and no-nonsense approach to business.
Fisher and his wife, Janice supported their community and higher education with both their time and financial resources. Fisher was a life director of the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, a chairman of Cardinal Health System in Muncie, Indiana, and he received honorary doctorates from Ball State University, DePauw University, and Indiana University. Ball University Hospital named the John. W. Fisher Heart Center in honor of his more than fifty-five years of service to the hospital. Fisher donated more than $3 million dollars to UT. He served as a member of the Development Council and the College of Business Administration’s Dean’s Advisory Council. UT President Emeritus Joe Johnson has called Fisher “the ideal alumnus.”
This award is presented to Fisher posthumously.
