OT: Dr. Gerhard Fisher

[Cal_Cobra]

I received the latest copy of "Fisher Labs World Treasure News 2009 Vol2 #1" with my new coil (thanks Richard) and was reading through it. The last page has an article about Dr. Gerhard Fisher. Unfortunately everything I've seen written about Dr. Fisher seems to be a copy of the previous material written about him. Seems like he had an interesting life, I mean he was friends with Albert Einstein, did many "military" research/projects, and pushed the envelope of development of our beloved hobby.

The article says he retired in 1967, then he just kind of seems to drop off the face of the earth. Does anyone know where to find more info about Dr. Fisher? Does anyone know if he's still alive ?

hh,
Brian

 

[Bill Ladd]

I'm pretty sure he passed away...I think in the 70's or early 80's maybe. You bring up a good point. For someone who got the first patent on the modern metal detector in 1931, there really is very little written about his life, etc. I bet the Los Banos archives had alot more information that we'll never know about now, as much of the material probably ended up in a dumpster like my catalogs when they cleaned house. But thankfully, FRL knew I was a fan of detector history, & I was lucky enough to have been sent, before the takeover, several items from the Los Banos archives. Several original B&W photo's of Dr. Fisher that now hang on the wall of my "treasure room", some original manuals for some of my old Fisher units, and even an early unit made of wood perhaps by the man himself.....
HH,
Bill

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Hi Bill,

That's really great you were able to save some of the history of Dr. Fisher, I'd love to see the photos you have some day.

I live in the SF Bay Area which is where he was originally working before he retired and FRL moved to Los Banos. So not only does his metal detector work interest me, but his other historical contributions as a local Northern California are also of interest.

For instance, he invented an early radar type system installed on the USS Macon, and other Zeppelin class air ships out of Moffett Field. Moffett Field was originally a Navy air ship military base which could accommodate Hindenburg sized air ships, and I believe it still holds the record for one of the largest hangers in the world even though it's over 80 years old (it's now the NASA Ames Research Center). The guy had a very interesting life, I'd sure like to learn more about him. Unfortunately everything I've seen published by FRL or other websites are effectively carbon copies of the same material over and over.

Here's a photo of the USS Macon stationed at Moffett Field where he installed his early radar like system on:

Brian