Portville Hall of Fame
Bob Fischer was born in Olean to Arthur and Rita Fischer. He has lived his
entire life in Portville. He graduated from PCS with the class of 1979. In high
school, Bob enjoyed skiing and participated in ski club. However, his favorite
thing to do was to spend as much time as he could in Dave Wahlstrom’s wood
shop. In 1984, Bob opened Fischer’s Auto Service in his parents’ barn on the
Portville-Ceres Road in Portville.
Holly, his wife of 18 years, grew up in Olean, the daughter of Clarence and
Velma Norton. She graduated from Olean High School with the Class of
1972. Holly enjoyed intramural sports and journalism. She moved to Portville
in 1985. Holly has always loved animals and has studied dog grooming and
dog obedience training.
Holly and Bob met while she worked as a dog groomer. Bob reciprocated by
working on Holly’s car. It took a few years, but Bob eventually asked her out.
They finally married in Bolivar in 1999.
After their marriage Bob and Holly moved to their present location and built a
new shop. They both have received ASE (Automotive Service Excellence)
certification and continue their education through auto workshops and seminars.
The list of their community involvement is truly impressive. Most of the things
they do for the community they do as a team.
Holly pursues her love of all God’s critters and has been involved in various
amphibian and reptile research projects, especially related to hellbender
studies. She has been recognized as a Citizen Scientist by the USA Frog
Watchers Program. Holly delights in sharing her experiences and knowledge
with others, especially young people. She has given many presentations at local
libraries and other venues. Bob is usually there with her to lend a hand in her
endeavors. Holly has also acted as advisor to boys doing Eagle Scout projects
and she does field trips to the vernal pool at Pfeiffer Nature Center for kids.
Bob has served on the Portville Comprehensive Planning Committee as a
member and as chairman. Both Bob and Holly have served on the Town of
Portville Planning Board, with Holly serving as secretary. Another committee
Bob chairs is the Vision 20/20 Committee. He also started and continues the
Portville Events Calendar. Two years ago, he was awarded the Cattaraugus
County Person of the Year award for his community involvement.
For several years Bob and Holly have organized the highly successful Heritage
Days Car Show. Over the years they have gradually become more and more
involved. This year they are chairing the Heritage Days planning. They are
regular volunteers at the Pfeiffer Nature Center doing trail maintenance or
teaching programs.
When asked what they are most proud of Bob tells us there are two things. The
boat launch at Steam Halley was a dream that came to fruition after many
years of planning, meetings, and coordination with people and groups. It has
become a valuable part of the Allegany River Valley Blue Trail. It is presently
the only ADA-compliant boat launch facility in the area.
The second thing is the building of the ramp at the Masonic Temple to
accommodate ECCO participants and voters. Holly loves anything to do with
animals and the environment. She feels a great need to teach, especially young
people, about the importance of protecting nature. She greatly values her
efforts to help our community understand the need to protect and preserve our
environment.
(As presented by Gary Swetland for Hall of Fame at the Alumni Banquet, 2017)
entire life in Portville. He graduated from PCS with the class of 1979. In high
school, Bob enjoyed skiing and participated in ski club. However, his favorite
thing to do was to spend as much time as he could in Dave Wahlstrom’s wood
shop. In 1984, Bob opened Fischer’s Auto Service in his parents’ barn on the
Portville-Ceres Road in Portville.
Holly, his wife of 18 years, grew up in Olean, the daughter of Clarence and
Velma Norton. She graduated from Olean High School with the Class of
1972. Holly enjoyed intramural sports and journalism. She moved to Portville
in 1985. Holly has always loved animals and has studied dog grooming and
dog obedience training.
Holly and Bob met while she worked as a dog groomer. Bob reciprocated by
working on Holly’s car. It took a few years, but Bob eventually asked her out.
They finally married in Bolivar in 1999.
After their marriage Bob and Holly moved to their present location and built a
new shop. They both have received ASE (Automotive Service Excellence)
certification and continue their education through auto workshops and seminars.
The list of their community involvement is truly impressive. Most of the things
they do for the community they do as a team.
Holly pursues her love of all God’s critters and has been involved in various
amphibian and reptile research projects, especially related to hellbender
studies. She has been recognized as a Citizen Scientist by the USA Frog
Watchers Program. Holly delights in sharing her experiences and knowledge
with others, especially young people. She has given many presentations at local
libraries and other venues. Bob is usually there with her to lend a hand in her
endeavors. Holly has also acted as advisor to boys doing Eagle Scout projects
and she does field trips to the vernal pool at Pfeiffer Nature Center for kids.
Bob has served on the Portville Comprehensive Planning Committee as a
member and as chairman. Both Bob and Holly have served on the Town of
Portville Planning Board, with Holly serving as secretary. Another committee
Bob chairs is the Vision 20/20 Committee. He also started and continues the
Portville Events Calendar. Two years ago, he was awarded the Cattaraugus
County Person of the Year award for his community involvement.
For several years Bob and Holly have organized the highly successful Heritage
Days Car Show. Over the years they have gradually become more and more
involved. This year they are chairing the Heritage Days planning. They are
regular volunteers at the Pfeiffer Nature Center doing trail maintenance or
teaching programs.
When asked what they are most proud of Bob tells us there are two things. The
boat launch at Steam Halley was a dream that came to fruition after many
years of planning, meetings, and coordination with people and groups. It has
become a valuable part of the Allegany River Valley Blue Trail. It is presently
the only ADA-compliant boat launch facility in the area.
The second thing is the building of the ramp at the Masonic Temple to
accommodate ECCO participants and voters. Holly loves anything to do with
animals and the environment. She feels a great need to teach, especially young
people, about the importance of protecting nature. She greatly values her
efforts to help our community understand the need to protect and preserve our
environment.
(As presented by Gary Swetland for Hall of Fame at the Alumni Banquet, 2017)
| The Portville Historical and Preservation Society |
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| 17 Maple Avenue Portville, NY 14770 www.portvillehistory.org |
Portville, New York
| Bob and Holly Fischer PCS Hall of Fame ~ Class of 2017 |
