Gary Havener is the founder and president of Havener Companies, a commercial real estate investment and management firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. A native of Mexico, Missouri, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Missouri S&T in 1962. After working for General Motors’ Packard Electric subsidiary and serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Havener built his career as an entrepreneur, establishing and acquiring companies in industries including electronics manufacturing, aircraft refurbishment and commercial real estate.
Havener’s impact at S&T began with his first gift to the Miner Alumni Association in 1980. He was the lead donor to the Havener Center, the university’s student center dedicated in 2005, and a major contributor to Toomey Hall, Bertelsmeyer Hall and the Kummer Student Design Center. The Gary W. Havener Endowed Scholarship Fund has supported students majoring in math since it was established nearly 40 years ago, and his contributions to the Finish Line Scholarship Fund has helped students nearing graduation to complete their degrees. In 2021, he established the Gary W. Havener Endowed Chair in Mathematics and Statistics.
Beyond philanthropy, Havener has served as a mentor and adviser — speaking to first-year students in the Chancellor’s Leadership Academy, serving on advisory and campaign committees, and offering strategic guidance as a member of the Missouri S&T Board of Trustees and the Kummer Missouri S&T Foundation Board of Directors.
He received the university’s highest honor in 2011 when he was named to the inaugural class of Alumni of Influence. His other awards include an honorary doctor of engineering degree in 2013 and the Miner Alumni Association’s Robert V. Wolf Alumni Service Award in 2012.
