Ray Fisher III continues the family’s legacy at Fisher Tire, a company founded by his grandfather, Ray Fisher Sr., in 1948 and run by his father, Ray Fisher Jr., who passed away in 2020. Originally a Texaco station, the business now operated by Ray is a notable name in the tire industry, known for its quality products and commitment to personalized service.
Ray, a native Knoxvillian, graduated from Bearden High School, excelling in multiple sports: swimming, tennis, water skiing, but especially as a catcher in baseball.
A car accident as a high school freshman damaged his arm, cutting an artery and severing nerves. Several years following the accident, he was unable to participate in most sports, but his love for speed led him to autocross racing, where he has won four first-place awards at the Autocross Ron Fellows Corvette Performance Driving School.
The school, founded by professional racer Ron Fellows, is typically held at the Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club in Pahrump, Nevada, and heralded as the official high-performance driving school of Corvette. Fellows established the school to share his passion for driving and the capabilities of Corvettes.
Participants drive the latest Corvette models equipped with performance enhancements, providing a thrilling driving experience. The special race-adapted Corvette Ray drove had over 500 horsepower.
Ray Fischer III and his company often engage in local community events and support local initiatives, reinforcing their commitment to the community they serve, proudly sponsoring local organizations such as Mission of Hope and an annual golf tournament, as well as donating premium tires every year for our fundraising auctions
Ray is an active member of the Bearden Rotary, now for over a decade, serving key roles within the organization and volunteering in local mission activities such as Mobile Meals, Stream Clean-up, and others.
Ray has an adult child who is an occupational therapist, plus two grandchildren, aged 3 ½ and 2 months.
As is customary in the Know Your Rotarian segment of the weekly Rotary meetings, Dick Hinton shared three facts about Ray Fisher, two of which were true and one false.
- While playing baseball, Ray was close to fame: he was the catcher for Greg McMichael, who went on to become a standout pitcher for the Atlanta Braves.
- In 2018, after his 4th autocross victory, he got a real thrill by driving the Ricky Bobby 1969 ChevroletChevelle from the movie Talladega Nights, driven by Will Ferrell.
- As a senior, Ray was a key member of Bearden High School’s chess team
Well, from his bio, Ray was an outstanding catcher and very involved in autocross, so it would seem that number three would be more likely untrue. Not so, he never drove the 1969 Chevelle from Talladega Nights and was a key member of the Bearden High School’s chess team.
The Rotary Club of Bearden meets every Friday, 12:15 p.m. for a luncheon meeting/program at Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike, 37919. All guests are welcome. Contact Joseph Pace with membership questions: here.
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