Diario las Américas Newspaper, June 5, 1955, Page 23

inrunieemeconheconet INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK Mrs. Jane Fisher Under the shade of beautiful palm trees, in the City of Miami Beach, stands a monument to Cerl Graham Fisher, erected by the grateful citizens of the community he built, and dedicated to his memory on April, 1941, two years after his death. The inscription reads: “HE CARVED A GREAT CITY FROM A JUNGLE”. Next to it should be another one to his widow, Jane Fisher, with the fol- lowing imscription: “...AND SHE HELPED HIM DO IT.” Becaise there is no doubt of the tremendous part that Jane played in the life of the great man. During the moments of greatest tension in his life, when his body resembied a human volcano, when his words sounded like the thunder of a devastating storm, and his blood vessels were about to burst, he would turn to “Little Honey”, with her engaging smile and vivacious eyes, and calm would come back to the great man, his brilliant mird would start again working with the usual brightness, and another great project would get nearer to a happy reality. Because Car! Fisher, as is the case with the majority of truly great men, had such a vitality and energy within himself, that on many occasions the scape valve had to be let loose, and a storm formed around him. And the balnny sunshine after the storm, to bring things back to normal, was always provided by Jane, whose great intelligence and understanding were always on his side, even when people everywhcre were talking and laughing about “Crazy Fisher” and his follies. The great dreams which later were to become some of the most magnif icent realities this country, or the world, has ever seen! Even as a child-bride, Jane became one of the most important cogs in that human machinery that wrote a brilliant chapter in the history of this country under the name of the Fabulous Fishers. No biography of the extraordinary man can te complete without having him cons- tantly linked to his “Little Honey”. Mrs. Jane Fisher, the First Great Lady of Miami Beach, was born in Claremont, a suburb of Indianapo lis, Indiana. She attended ihe schools of Indianapolis, at the time when the idol of all the school youngsters was Carl Graham Fisher, who had captured their imagination as a bycicle racer balloon flyer, and one of tke greatest advertising stunt-men this country ever had. Jane saw him for the first time when, in her own words, “he was in a white auto- mobile hung as the basket under a vermilion ballom. Man, car and balloon were drifting over the business section of Indianapolis. The balloon that carried the Stod- dard-Dayton automobile cost, $4,800 to build, but Carl received more than a million dollars worth of publicity. I heard a man say: “Another of Carl Fisher’s stunts. The man is crazy!!!”. To which she adds: “And how many times was I to hear those words!!!” Jane saw him for the second time during a picnic on the cele. bration of the Fourth of July, at the Canoe Club, a family club, but they did not meet then. The third time, during a band concert later, they were introduced, and he remarked to her escort: “Bush, I am going to steal your girl” From that evening, they saw each other practically every day for the next few months, until they were married. She was 15 years old, he was 36. And from that moment, this child just out of school, became the most faithful companion of the great man. The only person who had faith in his “crazy” projects, and who would encourage him to go ahead, even when things seemed to be doomed to great failures. FIRST GREAT LADY OF MIAMI Jane was at the great man’s side when he started to manufacture Prest-O-Lite, the compressed gas lights that were first used in auto- mobiles, and which made for him the first few millions, although the company was being sued all the time for accidents caused by gas explosions. She was a familiar sight in the shops where some ot the first racing automobiles were built by him in the United States. She was at his side most of the time during the construction of the famous “Speedway”, wheie every year the 500 mile classic race takes place, and which he originat- ed as a “stunt” to advertise automobiles. “Speedway” in itself is a monument to the man whose persistance and faith in his “crazy dreams” made him accomplish things that seemed impossible. The famous race field had to be ton down several times, in order te make it safe as an experimental ground for new cars. With the building of Speedway, Carl Fisher made one of the greatest contri- butions to the progress of the automobile industry, which is today the greatest manufacturing indus- try in the world. But that was not his only contribution to that in- dustry. He made another even greater, although very few people DOMINGO 5 DE JUNIO DE 1955 By ANTONIO RUIZ responsible, for the constructicn of the Lincoln Highway, the first highway of importance in the United States, crossing the country from east to west. He was the organizer of the caravan of automobiles that crossed the country for the first time to the Pacific coast, and at the head of which he proudly arrived in San Francisco. The publicity obtained with that trip led to contributions from thousands of persons, eve from places many miles away from the projected highway, which fi- nanced the construction. He made several contributions himself, one of them for $25.000. Many people suggested “Fisher Highway” for the new road, but he refused to let them name it in his honor, and insisted on the name Lincoln High- way, as he was an ardent admirer of the Great Emancipator, whose name he later gave to Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, and some other of his projects. “Having originated the constructien of a highway to cross the country from east to west, it was only natural that he would think of another one from north toe south,” says Mrs. Fisher, “and therefore he got busy with plans resulting in the construction of the Dixie Highway.” Although any of those projects become today know about it. He was the would have been enough to make genious who planned, and was of Carl Fisher an inmorta: figure HEMIGFERIO BEACH j SHE REMEMBERS WHEN—Mrs. Jane Fisher, widow of Carl Fisher, builder of Miami Beach, remem. bers the time when the magnificent resort city was nothing but swamps and sand, alligators and mes- quitoes. She helped the “Fabulous Hoosier” te Carve a City from a Jungle. (Photo DIARIO LAS AMERICAS, by Marvin). in the history of the development of this great country, his greatest dream, and the greatest monument to his memory is the fantastic, dream-like, city that is called Mia- mi Beach. “And he dreamed of it, exactly as it is today. The most fabulous hotels, the most glamo- rous and attractive resort in the word,” says Mrs. Fisher, adding: “Even I had doubts about his sani- ty when he spoke of luxurious ho- tels and entertainment palace, in a place that was only swamps and sand, alligators and mosquitoes. But he knew all the time that his great dream would become a magnificent reality. That is the reason why, when some of the other builders of the city were about to quit, fol- lowing what it seemed as sound advise from almost everybody, Carl would lend them money to con- tinue, and he would pour in some more of the millions he made with Prest-O-Lite. And when the end seemed to be near, when the land that had been “made” dred- ging the swamps and the bay, at a tremendous cost, could not be sold, could not even be given away, Carl had one of his greatest ideas. He called a meeting of all the landholders, told them to raise the price of the land, and start a great advertising campaign all over the country, explaining that only those of sufficient wealth to build the best of residences and cap»ble of keeping the highest standards would be considered as prospective buyers. And this turned the tide From then on, Miami Beach be came the playground of million aires, something like a Who is Who written with mansions in a little tropical island. The _ millions that seemed lost started to com back te the Fabulous Hoosier, Car] Fisher, as well as to those who had faith in his great star”. Although the tremendous job of being the wife of such a fabu lous man took most of Jane’s time, since she had to keep running anc be hostess in as many as five houses at a time, as well as_ several yachts and be ready at a moments notice to move from one place to another, she found time to develop a great personality of her own, and had her own activities, such as writing for four years “Jane Fisher’s Column” in the Miami Beach Daily Tribune, and later the Society Page of the Miami Daily tribune, as well as becoming As- sociate Editor of the magazine “Gondolier.” After that, her friend Grace Stonehall suggested to Jane that she have a radio program which she started with the story of Rosie, and elephant given as token of appreciation to the Fishers by Mr. and Mrs. Ed Ballard, owners of a small circus in Indiana, Rosie became famous in Miami Beach, was trained by Aaron Yar- nall, and acted at one time as Cad- dy for President Harding, which helped to give publicity to Miami Beach. That program, called “I Remember When”, lasted for 12 years. And with a delightful smile, she remarks: “The funniest part of it is that Rosie actually was a male elephant.” About three years ago, Jane took up painting, and has painted since then several hundred watercolors. She has sold some and given away many to her friends. She had several exhibits in which she has been highly praised as an artist. We saw several of her works, including an excellent reproduc- tion of a white orchid plant, her favorite flower, and her favorite painting. We think they are exce)- lent. On the relations of this country with our Latin American neighbors and the project to build the Center of the Americas, Mrs. Fisher says: i “Carl and I had always great interest in the relations of this country with-our neighbors, and we brought for the first time the Cuban Army Polo Team to play in Miami Beach. President Menocal was a very good friend of ours, and he gave me once a horse, the first one born in Cuba of Arabian blood, which I called Cuba Bebé, because it was brought by Jesus (Baby) Jimenez, the President’s Aide. “I am very glad to be able to say that I have seen in the last five years a decided change in the relations of South Florida with the Latin American countries, and I think our understanding will grow as more and more people here learn how to speak Spanish. Every- body should get behind the mayors of our twin cities in their cam- paign to have Spanish taught in the schools from the first grade. As to the Center of the Americas, I think it is a wonderful project and I am sure it will become soon a happy reality and will be a tre- mendous success. Car] offered at one time a whole block on Lin- coln Rd. to the Cuban Govern- ment, so that they could build a plaee for permanent exhibition of all their products, but nothing came of that offer. It could have been the beginning of something like the Center.” How valuable is the opinion of this First Great Lady of Miami Beach about the future of the Cen- ter of the Americas! She knows. She saw the “eraziest” dreams be- eome magnificent realities! PAG. 11 | j