Jo Fischer's Obituary
Jo Fischer, wife of husband Edward W. Fischer and mother of Cynthia Trichel, passed away on December 1, 2017, after a lengthy attempt to recover from three serious falls.Born Jewell Virginia Cruson on October 8, 1923, the youngest of four siblings of Jim and Bertha Cruson. Her admiration for the strong and determined heroine in the novel “Little Women” led her to accept the name “Jo” as a teenager.A lifelong “Sandie” after graduating from Amarillo High School in 1941, she attended West Texas University.As a youngster, enduring the sandstorms of West Texas, she often dreamed of the golden city to the east with it’s fancy hotels – DALLAS.In August 1946, Jo married 1st Lieut. Edward W. Fischer in the chapel of Amarillo AFB, Col. W. Oneal, the base Commanding Officer gave her away. What started as a mutual enjoyment of dancing to big band music became an enduring love of over seventy-two years.Jo’s vocational career began as a clerk at the Santa Fe R.R. and after marriage in the P.R. Department of the C&O R.R. in Cleveland, Ohio. As Ed attended Case Tech to get a B.S. Degree in Engineering Management, Jo diligently worked at several Jobs to support him and her new family (daughter Cynthia Jayne was born during the sophomore year at Case). Case gave her a PHT (Putting Him Through) certificate. She was also selected to be Phi Kappa Psi sweetheart.In the late 1950’s the Hospitality industry in Texas to grow. One of the first new glamour hotels was the Statler Hilton in downtown Dallas. Jo was currently the Personnel Manager at the Dallas Johnson and Johnson Plant. She applied for the personnel position at Hilton Corp. Although she laughingly admitted she did not know a “Busman from a Sous Chef”, which incidentally she thought was “Soup Chef”. This was her introduction to the world of “Four-and Five Star” hotels and a longstanding relationship with the Texas Hotel/Motel Association. Although inexperienced in this new field, she had a staff of approximately 1400 employees ready for the new hotel’s opening and for Conrad Hilton’s grand party with Hollywood celebrities. The Statler Hilton management, as well as the executives of the Hotel Assoc., were more than willing to help this enthusiastic newcomer soak up as much information as possible about the world of professional hospitality.Jo then was asked to become the Resident Manager of the Adolphus Hotel. The Adolphus and the Century Room- the dreams of a young girl in Amarillo. A 24/7 job, she enthusiastically moved into the hotel with Ed, her daughter, and a 75-pound basset hound named “Sam”. (A whole novel could be written about Sam and his life in a 1000 + room hotel.) In fact, we often encouraged Jo to chronicle the many dramatic, funny, and poignant experiences during her time at the Adolphus.And now she was personally involved in the hotel and its fancy Century Room she had heard about as a young woman in Amarillo.A day and night position of constant responsibility can take its toll so she accepted the position of Corporate Personnel Director for the five- star Fairmont Hotels. Here was a different challenge – finding and hiring professional chefs and waiters from Europe, many of whom would later populate the new upscale restaurants that sprung up in Dallas. These were also a new set of international friendships; grateful friends who she helped get expedient “green cards” and eventually citizenship’s. The Dallas Fairmont lost it’s five-star rating shortly after she left and we laughingly claimed it was because Jo was no longer there.Setting off on her own, Jo established the Texas Hotel/Motel Personnel Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping promote more personnel offices in the fast-growing hotel industry of the Southwest. She helped guide and train new managers, did some consulting, and helped many hotel managers, chefs, and waiters relocate to new positions through her many contacts, without charging a fee for her services. For several years she sponsored students from the hotel school of the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and found them summer positions in Dallas Hotels. One year she helped thirty- five get practical experience int the United States; much to the delight of the local hotels.In appreciation for her tireless dedication, the hotel industry had established university scholarships in her name at the University of Houston, Texas Tech University, and North Texas University.A person with remarkable “people skills”, she was fully at ease with a bus boy, a dishwasher, a U.S. Senator, or a future President of the United States. New acquaintances soon felt they were with an old friend. Old friends loved her dearly. Her beauty, charm, sense of humor, instant smile and laughter were impossible to resist. Above all, her intense interest in listening made her very special.Jo’s favorite times of the year were Springtime and Christmas. In the Spring she could happily plant hundreds of new flowers in her garden and at Christmas she could give presents to her family and friends. She took great pleasure in sending birthday greetings, Christmas cards, and “Thank You” notes.Her activities in the Republican Party and The North Dallas Women’s Club were typically Jo, “What can I do to help?” Her committee appointments, advisory board, speaking engagements, were varied and often requested.She will be interred on Monday, December 11, 2017 at Restland Memorial Park and a memorial service will be later that day at 1:30 pm at Christ Lutheran Church, 3001 Lovers Lane. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 1890 Amarillo, TX 79174, Jo’s favorite.
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