The two proud Miami grads said they have gotten from their school much more than they’ve given.
Lee Fisher said being part of the Miami glee club during his college days “made me feel like I was a part of the university.”
After graduation, they moved to the Philadelphia area, but years later, their shared passion for song led them to reconnect with their musical Miami memories when they attended the Glee Club’s 100th anniversary concert weekend in 2007, said Miami officials.
The 24th annual Voices of Giving Awards Event recently held at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation paid tribute to Greater Cincinnatians who — out of generosity and foresight — have chosen to leave a charitable legacy with a bequest or other type of planned gift to a favorite charitable organization, according to a statement from the foundation.
The Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council is a professional association for people whose work includes developing, marketing, and administering charitable planned gifts for non-profit institutions.
Since moving back to Oxford in 2013, the Fishers have shown unwavering support to Miami’s Glee Club and its students.
The couple created the Lee and Rosemary Fisher Scholarship in 2015, the first endowed scholarship in the Glee Club’s history.
In 2019, they established the Fisher-Holoviak Music Professorship to provide additional support to the Glee Club Director, Dr. Jeremy Jones. They have generously included the Miami University Foundation in their estate plan, as they have pledged to support their scholarship, their professorship, and the Glee Club Director’s Fund.
Additionally, said school officials, Fisher is a dedicated volunteer and ambassador for the Glee Club. He serves on the Glee Club Alumni Advisory Board and was instrumental in the creation of its alumni-student mentorship program. The couple is also passionate fundraisers for the group, soliciting donations from friends and family during Miami’s annual day of giving campaign.
Rosemary Fisher said: “We’ve taken care of people because they’ve taken care of us,” Rosemary said.
“It’s our way of saying thank you,” she said.
Lee said “we hope we’re just setting the right example. That’s really the best kind of legacy we think we can leave. If it causes other people to consider doing the same thing, mission accomplished.”
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