Mr. Kenneth Fisher

Receives 2022 Thayer Award

The West Point Association of Graduates presented the 2022 Sylvanus Thayer Award to Mr. Kenneth “Ken” Fisher, the Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation and a co-managing partner of Fisher Brothers Realty Corp on October 6 in Washington Hall where he addressed the Corps at dinner. As a business leader and philanthropist, Ken has worked tirelessly for decades as an advocate for those who made tremendous sacrifices while serving this country. [SEE PHOTOS]

Earlier in the day, Fisher was honored with a full-dress parade by the Corps of Cadets at West Point and had the opportunity to meet with cadets in the classroom and visit the Thayer Award Room in Taylor Hall where his legacy of “Duty, Honor, Country” will be permanently preserved for future cadets alongside past Thayer Award honorees.

As the Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation, Ken carries on the legacy of his great-uncle, Zachary Fisher, by overseeing a network of nearly 90 “Fisher Houses” throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. These residencies provide a comfortable home where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one receives medical treatment.

Fisher Houses support more than 28,000 military families each year. More than 1,000 military family members stay at a Fisher House on any given night. Over the years, the Fisher House Foundation has provided more than eight million nights of lodging, saving military and veteran families more than $400 million in out-of-pocket expenses.

Under Ken’s leadership, the Fisher House Foundation has partnered with the Department of Defense to establish the Hero Miles (2004) and the Hotels for Heroes (2011) programs, which allow families to use donated frequent flyer miles to purchase airline tickets and helps provide them hotel lodging when a Fisher House is not available. The nonprofit has also awarded more than $11 million in scholarships and has been consistently recognized for its success and high accountability standards, receiving the rare A+ rating from CharityWatch.org and a perfect four-star rating from Charity Navigator for 14 consecutive years.

The Fisher House Foundation is one of several nonprofit organizations that Ken and the Fisher Family have led. Ken also serves as Co-Chairman of the Intrepid Museum Foundation and has helped lead the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum into becoming a unique nonprofit educational institution that provides award-winning STEM programs to thousands of New York City public school children. He also served as the Chairman of the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando.

The Thayer Award recognizes a citizen of the United States, other than a West Point graduate, whose outstanding character, accomplishments, and stature draw a wholesome comparison to the qualities for which West Point strives. Mr. Ken Fisher is a worthy addition to the list of individuals who have received this award as his devotion to those who have made immense sacrifices in service to the nation is a quality that all Americans should admire. Having Ken’s name on the Thayer Award plaque and his portrait in the Thayer Room of Taylor Hall forever demonstrates to the public the principles upon which West Point is built: “Duty, Honor, Country.”