Longtime Cal State Fullerton donor and supporter Joseph Hammer died April 25. Through the years, Joe and his wife, Peggy ’66, ’70 (B.A. speech, M.A. reading), were active campus volunteers serving on a wide range of committees, mentoring students, establishing scholarships and providing funds for University programs. They are credited with giving more than $150,000 to CSUF over the course of many years.
Among the recipients of the Hammers’ generosity is the College of Communications, which received funds to establish the Peggy Hammer Scholarship for Human Communication Studies. Another recipient: the College of Education, which received funding for the “Honor an Educator” event and the Hancock Fund, established to support the college’s Hazel Miller Croy Reading Center. The Hammers continued to support the Reading Department through the years.
They also supported the University’s Music Associates, and Joe purchased a box that bears his wife’s name in the balcony of Meng Hall in the Joseph A.W. Clayes Performing Arts Center. In addition, they established the Hammer Future Scholarship for Hispanic Students, contributed to the President’s Associates and President’s Scholars programs, and supported scholarships and funding to other outstanding students.
“The Hammers were wonderfully supportive of our campus,” said Irene Matz, interim dean of the College of Communications. “Joe will be remembered for his kind spirit and zest for life. Joe was always providing financial support, always in his wife’s name, because he knew how much the University meant to her. He and Peggy truly represented the spirit of our community supporters.”