Belmont's first lady balances laughter, leadership

By Rochelle Williams
Diversity Institute Fellow

03.12.04

Printer-friendly page

Belmont University's first lady, Judy Fisher, first noticed her husband, Bob, in the 12th grade when he pulled a prank and she got in trouble for it.

"He was always playing jokes," Fisher said. "He borrowed my pencil, broke it in two and stuck it back together. I threw it back at him just as the teacher looked up and said 'Judy, detention.'

"He is a trickster," Fisher said. "But I have a forgiving heart."

Fisher told 30 students assembled in a lecture hall of the Jack C. Massey Business Center on Friday that life with the university's president is full of laughs but also full of responsibilities that leave little time for privacy.

"There is no personal life," Fisher said to the group, who received convocation credit for attending the speech. "We live and breathe Belmont.

"If you just look at the calendar of events and add all the music events and art events and faculty events and sporting events and special events and recitals …You put all those together and you don't have much time left."

Fisher said that she fell in love with Belmont the first time she walked through the campus four years ago; therefore, she is committed to adjusting her personal needs to meet the needs of the school.

"You just snatch every piece of personal time you can get," Fisher said.

Despite the hectic schedule, Fisher said she and her husband continue to play jokes on each other more than 30 years after she threw her pencil.

Earlier this month, Fisher said she sent him a bouquet of flowers with a card signed from a secret admirer. She waited to see if he would mention that he had received an anonymous gift. He never did, but a few days later she received a dozen roses allegedly sent by the family's carpenter.

Related

Articles by Winter 2004 Diversity Institute Fellows
Collection page for articles written by 2004 Winter Diversity Institute Fellows.  03.12.04