After growing up in Atlantic City, he graduated from Villanova University in 1937 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
[5] Mr Fister was responsible for making the inventions of the laboratory and theoretical breakthroughs come to life and onto the battlefield.
The War Department awarded him the Commendation for Meritorious Civilian Service and the Citation reads: For outstanding performance of assigned tasks and for initiative in directing and expediting engineering work performed by the Signal Corps on the rocket and bomb proximity fuse."
He was also Officially commended for "A special act in recognition of the outstanding accomplishment of a special one-time assignment received from the Commanding General, US Army Electronics Command, to "expedite and facilitate the USAECOM accomplishment of the FY-66 and prior fiscal year Electronic Warfare program."
The assignment was outside the normal sphere of the employee's responsibility but, nevertheless, was performed with the highest degree of knowledgeability, competence, and urgency, and resulted in expressions of appreciation from the Commanding General, USAECOM, and the Commanding General, U.S. Army Security Agency."