Allison E. Fisher Memorial Fund | Baltimore Evening with an Angel on a Jazz Note

Each year family and friends of Allison E. Fisher get together around her birthday to celebrate her life, raise awareness about breast cancer and raise money to fund scholarships and book awards in her name. Allison lost her battle with breast cancer in 1998.

This year’s event, the 3rd Annual Evening with an Angel on a Jazz Note, was held Saturday, December 1, 2001 at Overlea Caterers on Belair Road. It featured the music of Jump Street, a local jazz group, a buffet dinner, a silent auction, and a fashion show, with fashions from DeJa New.

Currently, proceeds of the event are going to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and St. Stephen A.M.E. in Essex, MD. Future plans are to fund scholarships at American University and Perry Hall High School.

The second recipient of the National Association of Black Journalist – Allison E. Fisher Scholarship, January Payne, was in attendance. She is pictured with her date, Maurice, her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Carl Payne, of Harrisburg, PA and Allison's mother, Pat.

January is a junior at the University of Maryland-College Park; majoring in print journalism. Mrs. Payne remarked, “After reading the bio on Allison, it made me think so much of the appropriateness of Jan being the recipient of a scholarship named after her. Allison’s symbol was the sun and we always refer to January as the “sunshine” in our lives. She and Allison would have been close friends because their outlook on life is similar.”

For the second year in a row, a check was presented to the Pastor of St. Stephen A.M.E. church in Essex, MD for its scholarship fund. In accepting the check, the pastor, Rev. William A. Gray, III, said, “the church encourages all graduating seniors to pursue additional education beyond high school and this scholarship donation will help further that cause. I’ve known Allison since she was in grade school and it is so in keeping with her memory to encourage and enable others to strive for higher learning.”

Among the family and friends in attendance were: Allison’s parents, Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Fisher, Sr. of Perry Hall; her nephew: Steven Fisher, and her cousins: David Boozer, Jr. and Lisa Boozer of Perry Hall (not pictured);

Allison's brother and sister-in-law, Ronald, Jr. and Lisa, of Perry Hall; John and Linda Greene of Perry Hall; Roland and Elaine Scott of the Hamilton area; Jerry and Angie Grinage of Abingdon (Not pictured is Phaedra DeShields of Abingdon).

Her aunts and uncles: David and Carolyn Boozer of Perry Hall; William and Tracy Mitchell of Rosedale; John and Annette Holts of Middle River; and Robert and Millicent Muschette of Mt. Rainier, MD; (All pictured to the left)

Long time family friend, Gail Robinson-Brown of Northwood, seated at right with Thomas Pollack and Terrell and Sheila Lynch of DeJa^’ New Boutique in Reisterstown.

Members of St. Stephen A.M.E. church in Essex, MD: Rev. William A. Gray, III, Mrs. Candice Gray, Michelle Tann Edwards, Denise Tann, Roberta Grinage and Lucille Jennings (Not pictured are: JoAnne Stone and Janine Foust Tinsley)

Several of Allison’s college friends from American University made it to the event with their spouses or significant others and their children: Steven and Karen Greisdorf with daughter, Sarah Allison; Richard Baum and Linda Bloss-Baum with daughter, Ally; Kim Klyberg and David Lifton; Greg Horn; Pam Traxel and Don Gakenheimer and Mary Eileen Dolan-Hogrefe.

Allison’s first job in her field of broadcast journalism was as an intern at the Library Video Network at the Baltimore County Public Library. Several people from the library world who knew her and others who wanted to support her family and friends in celebrating her life were in attendance:

James Fish, Director of Baltimore County Public Library; Nettie Taylor, retired Maryland State Librarian; Lynn Wheeler, retired Assistant Director – Baltimore County Public Library with her husband, Jerry Klauber; and Marcy Pride, Public Library Consultant, at the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development and Services, with her husband, Melvin Pride.

Among the many others in attendance, but not pictured above were: Allison's cousins: Keisha Stewart of Middle River and Erica Dixon of Rosedale; UCLA friend: Jodi Brockington of New York; Family Friends: Al and Wilhelmina Brown of Wilmington, DE; Angie Phillips of Stoneleigh; Howard and Geri Gaskill of Perry Hall; Shayla Watson of Northwood; Harrett Watson of Naples, FL; Willie and Vi Nichols of Perry Hall; Edna Dunston of Owings Mills; Virgil and Elaine Lynch of Northwood; Adrian and Dawn Johnson of Overlea and Karen Kopp.

To view more photos from the event, please visit our Photo Gallery page.