William Frederick Fahsing

William Frederick Fahsing was born in 1922 to Fred and Florence Fahsing in Long Island, New York.  He attended School of Engineering at New York University while working in New York radio factories from 1944-1948.  Subsequently, he worked for five years as a Lab Technician and Television Maintenance Engineer for the National Broadcast Company (NBC). 

In 1953, Fahsing enrolled at Virginia Theological Seminary in Arlington, Virginia.  After being ordained in 1956, he served at several New York Episcopalian churches before moving to South Dakota in 1960.  He served in several South Dakota communities, such as Eagle Butte and Winner, before accepting a post at St. Peter’s Church in Lake Andes.

 It was in South Dakota that Fahsing first met Native Americans and immediately became troubled by their poor standard of living.  Fahsing was also concerned about the lack of educational and occupational opportunities for Native Americans on the Yankton Indian Reservation.  In response to a need for better education, Fahsing began a Technology Training Program in 1964.  Using his skills that Fahsing had employed in his previous career, he thought that teaching the Native Americans electronics would help them regain financial independence and self worth.  Fahsing decided the best way to overcome the problems posed by a remote living situation was to bring the training and work to the area.  The training program eventually evolved into the Electro Technical Education Company in which Fahsing was president.  The company was originally headquartered in Greenwood, SD. 

 In order to create more business for the company, M-Tron Industries of Yankton SD absorbed the Electro Technical Education Company in July 1968.   In 1970, the Greenwood facility was closed and the relationship was dissolved, due to a slow down in the electronic industry. 

Fahsing left South Dakota in 1974 when he took a post assisting the Idaho Bishop in Boise, Idaho.  Fahsing was married to Ruth Fahsing and they had two daughters, Nancy and Susan.