Michael J. Fisher's teachers expected much from him at Brentwood High School in the early '80s.
"He was quiet and mannerly and the kind of kid who always did what you asked of him," said school Superintendent Ronald Dufalla, who taught Fisher in a ninth-grade law and government course. "You knew things would fall into place for him, because he was driven and he worked hard."
Fisher, 46, this month became chief of the Border Patrol, making him the nation's highest-ranking Border Patrol agent. He will direct the enforcement efforts of more than 20,000 agents responsible for patrolling the nation's borders between official ports-of-entry.
Before this appointment, Fisher was chief patrol agent of the San Diego sector, where he lives with his wife, Irene, and son, Anthony.
Fisher graduated from Brentwood High School in 1982, got a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Allegheny College in Meadville and earned a master's degree in business administration from the John F. Kennedy Harvard School of Government.
"I'm extremely excited that a Brentwood kid has this distinction," Dufalla said. "We're a small community and a small district, and I think this will give our kids an example to show them that great things can come out of a smaller area.
"It's how you take advantage of the opportunities presented to you."
Fisher started with the patrol in 1987 in Douglas, Ariz. He held a number of supervisory and leadership positions at Border Patrol sectors across the country, according to Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin.
"During my 23 plus years with the Border Patrol I have learned that it is our men and women who make the difference. Their professionalism and dedication to duty allows us to accomplish the mission of securing the nation's borders and making America safer.
"Border security is not only important to those communities along the border, but also to communities like Pittsburgh. I take great pride in knowing that the work that we do helps keep my hometown safe from those that would do us harm," Fisher said in an e-mail.
Fisher was a standout football player at Brentwood High School and Allegheny College, said his father, John Fisher of South Park. Dufalla said Michael Fisher was on the baseball, basketball and track teams in high school and was a member of the National Honor Society, yearbook staff, band and class governing body.
He is the second of four children, John Fisher said.
"We're extremely proud of him and we think he was a superstar right from the beginning," he said. "He's always been a good student and always worked very hard. Nothing has ever come easily to him, but he earned it."
