The Missouri S&T community mourns the loss of June Marie Kummer. Her remarkable life, defined by her generosity and commitment to educational excellence, is reflected in her obituary. She passed away on Monday, Jan. 8, at the age of 93.

June Kummer and her late husband, Fred Kummer, donated $300 million to Missouri S&T in 2020 to establish the Kummer Institute for Student Success, Research and Economic Development. Their donation is the largest single gift ever to any public or private university in Missouri and one of the largest ever to any university.

June, who earned an architectural degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1951, married Fred in 1954. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from S&T in 1955. Together they built their business, HBE Corp. (formerly Hospital Building and Equipment Co.), from a small, “mom and pop” general contracting business into the world’s largest design-build firm specializing in health care. Over the years, they built over 1,000 hospitals across the United States, and, along the way, they also established Adam’s Mark Hotels & Resorts, a chain of 23 upscale hotels in 13 states.

While she occasionally lent her architectural talents to HBE projects, June focused upon raising their three children and pursuing her great love of gardening. Devoted philanthropists, the Kummers supported Missouri S&T and many other organizations. Their substantial gifts supported the expansion of Butler-Carlton Civil Engineering Hall, the creation of the Kummer Student Design Center, the Toomey Hall expansion for mechanical and aerospace engineering, and construction of the Hasselmann Alumni House, among many other contributions.