Eugene Fischione was a brilliant, resourceful mind — a survivor of the Great Depression and lifelong tinkerer who parlayed his work as a research machinist at U.S. Steel into a global business that today builds some of the world’s most sophisticated scientific instruments.
“He was always interested in innovation and research,” said his son Paul Fischione, who is now CEO of E.A. Fischione Instruments, the company his father founded in the garage of his Export home in 1966.
A World War II veteran, Mr. Fischione, of Export, died Nov. 9 after a series of health setbacks. He was 102.
He grew up in the town of Palmer in German Township, Fayette County, the son of Italian immigrants who struggled during the Great Depression.
“It was rough,” his son said. “My grandfather was a coal miner and my grandmother had nine children — seven of them survived into adulthood.”
The family also tried farming and eventually found their way to East Liberty, where they lived with relatives while Mr. Fischione’s father went to work for the WPA, the Works Progress Administration, an employment program started by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935.
After graduating from Westinghouse High School, Mr. Fischione enlisted in the Coast Guard during World War II.
From 1943 to 1945, he served on the USS Annapolis, a frigate that escorted ships between the U.S. East Coast and Africa.
Even as a young man, Mr. Fischione was interested in finding out how things worked, his son said.
“My dad was a tinkerer his whole life,” he recalled. “During the war, he was a machinist and he then went to a watchmaking school. With the demise of mechanical watches he was able to combine the watchmaking and machinist skills to get a job at U.S. Steel.”
Mr. Fischione worked at U.S. Steel from 1956 to 1977, including at its Research Center in Monroeville, where he was on the ground floor in crafting electron microscope instrumentation.
In 1966, he recognized an emerging market for devices and accessories that would complement such high-power microscopes and other nanotechnology.
One of his many inventions created an electro-chemical reaction to prepare a specimen for viewing under an electron microscope, according to a Post-Gazette story about the company in 2016. The technology continues to be used at more than 500 labs in more than 40 countries.
The company expanded slowly at first, branching out to relatives’ garages, said his son, who took over as CEO in 1986.
“When it got to be four garages, that’s when I expanded to the facility in Export, in 1990,” he said.
Since then, the company has grown to 55 employees with a $5 million, 26,000-square-foot expansion at its Export headquarters.
Though Mr. Fischione handed over control of the company to his son, he certainly didn’t retire, Paul Fischione said.
“He continued to work in the business, he just didn’t want to deal with the daily operations,” he said.
His new free time allowed Mr. Fischione to enjoy his family and his favorite activities, especially lake fishing.
Growing up with a creative father gave him an outlet to invent and innovate, his son said.
“It was cool,” he recalled. “My dad always encouraged me to build things. We did a few projects together. I played hockey so I made a skate sharpener, a go-cart and a log splitter.”
His dad could also spin a yarn like no one else, his son said.
“He was a great storyteller. He told me about growing up on the farm, about the coal mining town and being on the ship during World War II,” he said. “He was also supportive and kind, patient and strong.”
Along with his son, Mr. Fischione is survived by three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Jennie Albanese and his second wife, Lois Cinicola, along with his siblings Anthony Fischione, Bernard Fischione, Rose Peters, Philomena Fischione, Christine Fischione, and Vincent Fischione.
His funeral was last month.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mother of Sorrows Church, Mother Teresa Outreach Fund, 4202 Old William Penn Highway, Murrysville, PA 15668.
Janice Crompton: jcrompton@post-gazette.com.
First Published: December 3, 2023, 10:30 a.m.
