Bill Fisk

Dr. Fisk is now Professor Emeritus at Clemson University. I grew up with great parents who loved me, in a home where we did go to Sunday School and church. I always thought there was a god, but I struggled with what this god really looked like. I went on to college and stopped attending church until graduate school when my girlfriend (Deby) said we needed to attend; and so we did. Within an amazing decade of accomplishments, I ended up with 3 degrees (BS, MS, PhD), got married (Deby is in the picture), had 2 children, owned two different homes, worked as a school psychologist and then a first-grade teacher. I was very driven. We then moved to Texas where I was an Assistant Professor of Psychology (half-time in Education) and I perfected being a workaholic at the expense of my wife and family. I attended church regularly and was even in a special small group to learn about how to share the Christian faith. Now please understand that all my life I had had a picture of the perfect man that I needed to be. That picture included being nice, honest, hard working, married, and successful. In general people on the outside liked me and thought I was a pretty good guy. But I increasingly found that I did not measure up to my perfect image. I could not be that perfect man -- I failed constantly and I was becoming increasingly frustrated and depressed about my failures. I had bad thoughts, I got angry, I hurt people, especially my wife, with my words. My marriage was careening quickly toward divorce. It was at this hopeless point in my life that God opened my eyes to the fact that I would never be perfect -- I was a sinner, unable to be truly good. I realized I needed a savior and I fell literally on my face, crying, and accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and my Lord. My life changed drastically. That was in 1981. God gave me a productive 36-year career in higher education, a wonderful marriage to Deby since 1975, and special relationships with our three sons (David, Ryan, & Matthew), their three wives, and now our five grandchildren. I have been blessed in so many ways. Within our family there have been many struggles along the way, including dealing with the brokenness of individuals with addiction and depression, major health issues, a deaf grandson, and a son leaving the faith. But my story is one of God's continual faithfulness. I continue to grow in how I understand who God is, what He has done by sending His only son, Jesus Christ, to die for me as well as to live that perfect life and give it to me, and to learn how to continue to do more and more of what God would have me do in every instance of every day. I/we have been very blessed to have excellent biblical teaching, mentoring, and fellowship at our local church (Clemson Presbyterian Church) since 1986.

My Life

Favorite Quote

By definition you can only "do your best" once in your lifetime. So "try your best" always and then leave the results in God's hands. [Please see Prov 3:5-6.]

My hobbies

basketball; fishing

Best advice I ever received

Always seek to understand how big my sin is so that I can more fully understand how big my God is.

My undergrad alma mater

Florida State University

My worst subject in school

French

In college I drove

Dodge Dart

If I weren't a professor, I would

possibly be a pediatrician

Favorite books

A Shepherd's Look at the 23rd Psalm; Prodigal God

Favorite city

San Antonio to visit

Favorite coffee

don't drink it

Nobody knows I

took ballet as a pre-schooler

My latest accomplishment

God has directed me into a Board Member position on the Foothills Care Center. This is a marvelous organization with offices in Seneca and in Clemson (off Wall Street, behind Pot Belly Deli) that helps women who are pregnant as well as the prospective fathers. In addition I am taking the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course and it is very interesting.