Evening star., 1940-01-01

he was active in civic affairs. He
was member of the Civic League
of Massachusetts,. Foreign Policy AS
sociation, Eagles, Elks. Knights Of
Pythias and the Freemasons. Dur
ing the Spanish American War he
served in the Army and was a men,
ber Of the Spanish War Veterans.
Helped Settle Strike.
AS member of the union board
and later as vice president, he rep
resented labor in many arbitrations
and was known as fair union man.
During the World War he continued
his arbitration work and in 1917 was
instrumental in settling the Boston
& Maine Railroad strike, getting an
agreement that was satisfactory to
labor and management.
Recognized as an authority on la
Dor and industrial management, as
early as 1921 he was called in by
number of schools to give lecture
courses. These included Harvard
University, Dartmouth College,
Brown University, Simmons College
and Northeastern University.
On March %, 1888, when Presi-
dent Roosevelt was just beginning
the New Deal administration, Mr..
Fechner was telephoned from the
White House to come to Washington.
However, his duties in Plainfield, N.
j., prevented this. SO arrangements
were made for him to board train
in New Jersey and ride with Louis
M. Howe, a presidential secretary
and adviser, to New York The re-
suit of the train conversation was
that Mr.. Fechner was asked to di-
rect the new youth rehabilitation
resource conservation organization.
When the President signed the
bill authorizing the emergency con-
servation work, Mr.. Fechner early
in April, 1888. was given the tre-
nnendous task of mobilizing an or
ganization Of army proportions,
feeding and housing the unemployed
youths and providing them with
work in the countrys forests and
fields.
Kept Early Hours.
Designated as the Civilian Con-
servation Corps, the organization
was headed by an advisory council
based on the cooperation of the
Agriculture. War, Interior and La
Dor Departments. 1t remained an
independent cooperative agency
under Mr.. Fechner until the recent
reorganization Of the executive
branch of the Government. Though
still practically independent, it is
under the Federal Security Agency.
Until the time of his recent ILL
ness Mr.. Fechner usually walked
from his apartment in the Burling-
ton Hotel to his Office in the new
Post Office Building. Because of
his early rising habit he usually was
in his Office by 7 am. Because
visitors before am must sign the
register, the guards book at the
entrance has the name of Robert
Fechner listed on nearly every
working day since the c. c. C. head
quarters was moved into the Fed
eral Triangle from the old wooden
World War building at Nineteenth
and c streets NV.
Though he listed his hobbies as
human relations in industry, eco
nomics and problems of industrial
management. Mr.. Fechner during
the last six years made his life his
hobby, and his only interest the
welfare of the hundreds of thou
sands Of young men who are faced
with the problem of employment
which he went through a half CEN
tury ago. With the practical
realization Of modern youth prob
lens he constantly fought to give
youth helping hand and a guild
ance toward better economic life.
He was the son of Charles and
Virginia Roberts Fechner. He was
married October Is, 1902. to Clare
Dickey. Besides his wife he leaves
sister, Mrs. Walter E. Coney OF
Atlanta, Ga. His wife and sister
were with him at the time Of his
death.