Administration

Trustee emeritus Ted Junker dies

Ted Junker, a Penn State trustee emeritus, was heavily involved in philanthropy. His efforts helped to benefit Penn State Behrend, the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the College of Health and Human Development. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Edward P. “Ted” Junker III, a Penn State trustee emeritus and retired chairman and chief executive officer of PNC Bank, Northwest Pennsylvania, died on Dec. 10, at 79.

Junker is a former chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees. He is also a former chairman and member of the Council of Fellows at Penn State Behrend.

"Ted Junker was an energetic and dedicated Penn State supporter throughout his life and it is with great sadness that we learned of his passing," said Penn State President Eric J. Barron. "Ted's particular focus on the Penn State Erie campus and his commitment and service to the Hershey Medical Center are unsurpassed. Both areas of the University have benefited greatly from his time, effort and vision, and he and his family have been wonderful partners of Penn State, giving freely of their resources and committing generously to many critical University endeavors. Ted's strong leadership sets an extraordinary example for all of us who care about our University. He will be deeply missed."

Junker, a 1959 hotel administration graduate from Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development, served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1986 to 2010. He was named a trustee emeritus in 2010.

Junker helped to lead three capital campaigns at Penn State and chaired various committees. He was vice chair of the campaign steering committee and a member of the executive board for A Grand Destiny: The Penn State Campaign from 1996 to 2003. He also served as a member of the executive committee of the Campaign for Penn State from 1984 to 1990 and served on the National Development Council.

Junker was chairman of the board of directors of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center from 2000 to 2009. During his tenure, the medical center experienced unprecedented expansion, including the creation of the Penn State Health System and the construction of a freestanding Penn State Cancer Institute. Junker also sat on the committee that helped to raise the money to build the freestanding Penn State Children’s Hospital, which opened in November 2012.

In Erie, Junker played a leadership role in the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, Erie Zoological Society, Erie Community Foundation, Saint Vincent Health Center and Hamot Health Foundation.

He and his late wife Barbara, who was a 1957 Penn State alumna, established the Edward P. and Barbara F. Junker Scholarship for Penn State Behrend students who demonstrate leadership traits. In 2001, Penn State Behrend named its new athletics complex the Junker Center in recognition of a $2 million gift commitment to the campus by the Junker family. In 2009, the Hershey Medical Center renamed its auditorium after Junker in honor of his contributions to the medical center.

“Ted was equally generous with his time and expertise,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “He was active and enthusiastic in every endeavor, and his death is a significant loss for Penn State, and for the Erie region.”

He received the University’s Philanthropist of the Year award in 2007 and was selected as an Alumni Fellow in the College of Health and Human Development and Penn State Behrend in 1987. In 2011, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Penn State, the University’s highest individual honor. Junker received the Philip Philip Mitchell Alumni Service Award in 1984 and was a recipient of United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society Award. He was one of five people named to the first board of directors of the Big Ten Network.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Junker joined Marine Bank in 1964, rising through successive management positions before being named president in 1974 and CEO in 1983. In 1985, Marine was merged into PNC Bank, and Junker was elected chairman and CEO of PNC Bank Northwest Pennsylvania.

He is survived by his three children: Elizabeth J. Korman, a 1981 College of Health and Human Development graduate; Barbara J. Smith, a 1982 College of the Liberal Arts graduate; and Susan F. Feyock, a 1985 Smeal College of Business graduate.

Calling hours will be observed at Burton Westlake Funeral Home, 3801 W. 26th St., Erie, Pennsylvania, from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, and from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at noon Saturday, Dec. 17. Memorial gifts may be made to the Edward P. and Barbara F. Junker Scholarship Fund at Penn State Behrend, 4215 Station Road, Erie, PA 16563; the Erie Zoological Society, 423 W. 38th St., Erie, PA 16508; and the Erie Community Foundation, 459 W. Sixth St., Erie, PA 16507.

Last Updated January 3, 2017