Gift in memory of Joseph Wm. Semmer names ECE study room

9/25/2014 Meg Dickinson, ECE ILLINOIS

Alumnus Joseph W. Semmer's memory will be preserved forever as his name is given to a group study room in the new ECE building.

Written by Meg Dickinson, ECE ILLINOIS

Joseph Wm. Semmer (BSEE ‘58) loved the University of Illinois and its department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was a quiet but strong leader, and a man who never gave up.

Semmer, who died in April 2010, will be memorialized forever with the Joseph W. Semmer Group Study Room in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building.

Joseph W. Semmer.
Joseph W. Semmer.

Carole Semmer, his wife of more than 50 years, decided give a gift to name the space would keep her husband’s legacy and love for ECE ILLINOIS alive. She did so with a significant, six-figure gift.

“When this opportunity came along after he was gone, I wanted to do this so he would be remembered,” Carole Semmer said.

Joe Semmer, a talented baseball catcher, loved attending Illinois so much that he once turned down the chance to play professional baseball in the Midwest because he wanted to finish school.

After graduation, he worked for a short time at Automatic Electric, as an engineer, and then worked in sales at Motorola. Later, he was hired at Hallmark Electronics in Dallas, and he worked his way up to vice president, and then eventually, president. He served 15 years in that position. When the company was sold, he wasn’t interested in retiring, so he served stints as temporary president at Arrow Electronics, executive president at Freeman Spogly, and as majority-share co-owner in Electro Wise.

“He did a good job everywhere he went,” Carole Semmer said. “Any company where he worked, he improved it, leaps and bounds.”

His leadership style was to explain his thoughts, and employees would follow him and his plans.

“He was a strong leader who people respected,” Carole Semmer said. She hopes his legacy continues as students study and collaborate in the space named for her husband.

Joseph Semmer also earned a master’s degree at the University of Texas, and he was a strong believer in the power of higher education, Carole Semmer said.

“He believed in higher education,” she said. “His attitude was, always read, always learn, and it’s so valuable.”

That belief led her husband to be a longtime donor to the University of Texas and the University of Illinois.

Joseph Semmer was also a devoted family man with two sons, a daughter, a granddaughter, and a grandson, and was known for his warm, welcoming smile, Carole Semmer said.

He was also a caring volunteer, working weekly with heart surgery patients at Medical City in Dallas, Texas, and traveled extensively for both business and pleasure.

“This gift, in memory of Joseph Semmer, is a wonderful way to honor his legacy and to serve ECE ILLINOIS students for the next 100 years,” said ECE Department Head William H. Sanders.

To make a similar gift to the new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, please contact Senior Director of Advancement Steven George by email or calling (217) 244-8023.


Share this story

This story was published September 25, 2014.