Hamer Shafer was humble, but Ball State University dedicated a 150-foot bell tower in his honor.
Shafer, who along with his wife, Phyllis, is the namesake of Shafer Tower. He died at age 93 Wednesday in Muncie.
The Muncie philanthropist began his career of more than 70 years as the first employee of Muncie Power Products Inc. Since then, he worked his way to the top of the company, donating millions of dollars to Ball State University, among many other Muncie organizations, along the way.
"It's hard to think of a major project around [Ball State] that [the Shafers] haven't touched somehow," said Don Park, special assistant to the president and vice president emeritus for university advancement. "Hamer was one of those people who was kind of a self-made person -ยก- very quiet, very low-key."
It took a strong effort to convince the Shafers to let the university name the bell tower in their honor, Park said.
"If you look around, there were all kinds of naming opportunities over the years," he said. "They never really wanted to do that.
"We told them 'This is something we want to do, and you need to let us do it. It's not the fact that you're making a major gift to this; we know that. You've done so much for this university. It has to be recognized.' He said 'There has to be somebody else.' It took a sales job to do it."
Many of the Shafers' gifts to the university were anonymous, Park said.
"We just know it came from them," he said.
Along with the Shafers' contribution to the bell tower, Park said, the couple has donated heavily to Ball State scholarships and projects such as the Scheumann Stadium renovations, the construction of Worthen Arena and the Alumni Center. In the fall, the Shafers donated $1 million to the Ball State Bold: Investing in the Future financial campaign.
"We would never go into a comprehensive campaign without talking to them," Park said. "They would always be interviewed as part of that study. They knew the community because of their own philanthropies. There's very few agencies in the community that they haven't touched, and they've done it quietly."
Phyllis received a degree from Ball State in 1947, but Hamer never pursued higher education, Park said.
Shafer began working for Lou Conne at Muncie Power Products in 1935, said Terry Walker, chairman and chief executive officer of the auto parts company.
"Hamer's job was whatever needed to be done," Walker said. "He took orders, he was a janitor, he was the owner's car washer, he was the delivery boy - he did every aspect of the job. He grew with the company as it continued to expand. He was an entrepreneur even before he knew what an entrepreneur was."
He took over the company soon after World War II, growing the company into one of North America's largest distributors of power takeoffs and hydraulic components.
Walker said he worked with Shafer for 33 years.
"He's been an absolute inspiration over the years, not only to me, but to everyone at the company," Walker said. "He had a work ethic that really overcompensated for his lack of education."
Shafer formally relinquished ownership of the company in 1999 when it was sold to the Interpump Group in Italy, Walker said, but he stayed involved with the company as a member of the board of directors.
"He did all this up until one year ago when he became physically unable to come into the office," Walker said. "When I say he was active for 70 years, he was active."
Shafer often worked around the clock - often requiring employees to come in two or three nights a week for training - in order to help his company grow, Walker said. As the company expanded, Shafer began preparing himself to hand over the reins of management.
"It's a fine line when you've got one of the entrepreneurs that's able to grow the company then let go," Walker said.
Shafer was happy to see the company grow as much as it did before he died, Walker said.
"He lived to see the company grow; his whole vision was to perpetuate the company," Walker said. "He always said 'I'm going to hire people smarter than I am.' At the end of the day when he passed away he was at peace with the accomplishments in the company."
Shafer spent his last few years living at Westminster Village retirement home in Muncie.
Dale Lindley and Mary Jo Crutcher, president and vice president at Westminster respectively, said in a press statement they were sad to lose Shafer.
"It is rare in life that an individual shares so much with his community," they wrote. "Muncie [and] Delaware County residents have been blessed with the dedications and commitment that Hamer Shafer has shown to the community throughout his entire life. He certainly personified the definition of a true philanthropist. His kindness to others in all walks of life made him very special to all he encountered. It was a privilege to know that we at Westminster Village were able to provide care and service to him."
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