Fischer Black Box a standing tribute to local arts supporter

The Fischer Black Box at the Las Vegas Little Theatre is named for two of its former patrons and supporters, Bernice and Virlis Fischer.

When the new LVLT was under construction eight years ago at 3920 Schiff Drive, the funding to finish one of the performance spaces was in jeopardy.

"We needed another $27,000 to finish off that space," said former LVLT director and producer Paul Thornton. "No sooner than I mentioned we needed money, (Bernice Fischer) pulled out her checkbook and said, 'How much do you need?'

Thornton and his wife, Sue, have worked for LVLT since the 1980s and became friends with the Fischers.

"She's got to be one of the most kind and giving people I've ever met in my life," Thornton said. "She's always been a big contributor to the community. I cannot tell you how many kids' college educations she's funded over the years."

Virlis Fischer died in 1992, and Bernice moved four houses down from the Thorntons in a cul-de-sac near Flamingo Road and Eastern Avenue.

Bernice and Virlis Fischer had lived in Las Vegas since the early 1970s. Bernice Fischer continued to donate to the arts following her husband's death.

"I support any art that's legitimate," she said. "There are a lot of wonderful things in Las Vegas. I love to help people, but I don't keep track of what I do."

Others do.

Fischer has given extensively to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' College of Fine Arts. The Judy Bayley Theatre Gallery was renamed the Virlis and Bernice Fischer Gallery in 2006. She was awarded the Governor's Arts Award in 1995. She has bought countless instruments for young musicians at UNLV and in the Clark County School District.

She also donated to the Nevada School of the Arts, the Nevada Ballet Theatre, the Nevada Chamber Symphony, the Nevada Opera Theatre and the Las Vegas Jazz Society, among others.

"What I've been able to gather is that she has (money) and wants to do good in the world," Sue Thornton said. "She wasn't an actress or a singer, but she wanted to support it."

Bernice Fischer was born in Brownsville, Texas, and worked most of her life as an education specialist for Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.

Fischer's memory has faded with time - she is 92 - but Thornton recalled some of the stories that Fischer shared years ago.

Fischer marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. She also lived at home with her parents until she was 53, the year she met Virlis.

Fischer loved to travel, Thornton said. Virlis and Bernice met during a vacation in South America.

"He was very impressed she spoke fluent Spanish," Thornton said. "They ended up talking and had a long-distance relationship."

Fischer does not leave her home much these days, as she is unable to drive. The Thorntons make sure to visit her often.

She still donates money, though she can't tell you where it goes.

"I do the kindnesses I do from the heart and forget about it," Fischer said. "I support the arts. I do it from the heart, and that's enough for me."

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.