- Ralph Hauenstein
Ralph Hauenstein is a philanthropist and business leader in the greater
Grand Rapids ,Michigan area. His leadership has produced institutions such as theHauenstein Center for Presidential Studies atGrand Valley State University , the Hauenstein Parkinsons and Neuroscience Centers at Saint Mary's Hospital, and theGrace Hauenstein Library at Aquinas College.Early life
Born in
Fort Wayne ,Indiana , in 1912, Ralph Hauenstein moved toGrand Rapids at the age of 12 and lived in Grand Rapids ever since. One of his earliest memories -- he was five or six years old -- is of handing out candy to doughboys leaving their midwestern homes for the battlefields ofFrance . As a twelve year old boy scout, he assisted Civil War veterans from theGrand Army of the Republic meeting inGrand Rapids . They arrived inGrand Rapids by car and by horse. ["Ralph Hauenstein: A Life of Leadership" The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies]World War II leadership
Hauenstein's public service began in 1934. That year, at the age of 22, he sensed that war would break out in
Europe and inevitably involve theUnited States . The next year, Hauenstein was commissioned in theU.S. Army as a second lieutenant and became commander of an all-African-AmericanCivilian Conservation Corps camp inMichigan .After two and one-half years on active duty, Hauenstein returned to civilian life and became city editor of the "
Grand Rapids Herald ". In December 1940, one year before the attack onPearl Harbor , he returned to active duty. During the Second World War, he rose to the rank of colonel and served underGeneral Dwight D. Eisenhower as chief of theIntelligence Branch in the Army's European theater of operations. In 1945 he was among the first Americans into liberatedParis , war-tornGermany , andNazi concentration camps . The destruction convinced him to work for better international relations and peaceful solutions to conflict. ["Intelligence was my Line: Inside Eisenhower's Other Command" (New York: Hippocrene Books, 2005)]Post-war leadership and service
After the war, Hauenstein saw opportunities to build bridges between the
United States and a Europe devastated by war. He went into international trade and partnered with European enterprises to provide goods and services to consumers in Europe, theMiddle East , and elsewhere where democracies were struggling. He underwrote a modern bakery inHaiti , providing jobs for hundreds of workers and thousands of individual distributors at a difficult time in that nation's history. He also set up a school inFlorida that taught people from developing countries how to run a fully-automated bakery and provide good jobs in their local economy. ["Ralph Hauenstein honored for lifetime of military and intelligence service" EducationNews.org 24 April 2006 ]However, Hauenstein's leadership and service went beyond the private sector. During the
Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, Mr. Hauenstein served as a consultant on the President's Advisory Commission. He also served as an auditor at theSecond Vatican Council inRome , and was part of the team that supervised the first free elections inRussia with theJamestown Foundation in 1996.Philanthropy
Hauenstein has contributed to numerous charitable causes. His philanthropic efforts can be seen in higher education institutions in the West
Michigan area: atGrand Valley State University , his contribution made possible the founding of theHauenstein Center for Presidential Studies , whose mission is to inspire a new generation of leaders devoted to public service. TheGrace Hauenstein Library is a prominent fixture on theGrand Rapids campus ofAquinas College Hauenstein's philanthropy extends into the field of medicine. In December 2003, Hauenstein contributed $2 million to
Saint Mary’s Health Care to jump start a $15 million campaign to create a comprehensive Neurosciences Center on the campus. From this initial donation -- and efforts to raise more money -- the Saint Mary’sHauenstein Parkinson’s Center is a leader in the fight against this debilitating disease. ["Saint Mary’s to Develop New Neurosciences Center on Campus" Saint Mary's Health Care Latest News Releases] Hauenstein was also one of three board members who established theVan Andel Institute for Medical Research inGrand Rapids ,Michigan , and is currently one of its trustees.Leadership positions
*Colonol-United States Army
*Trustee-Van Andel Research Institute
*Trustee-Gerald R. Ford Foundation
*Trustee-Jamestown Foundation
*Founder-Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies
*Founder-Hauenstein Parkinson's Center
*President/Chairman-Werner Lehara CorporationPublications
Ralph Hauenstein, along with
Donald Markle , authored a book about his role in theAllied efforts during World War II. "Intelligence Was My Line: Inside Eisenhower's Other Command" was published in 2005 byHippocrene Books .References
External links
* [http://www.allpresidents.org/ The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies]
* [http://www.gvsu.edu/ Grand Valley State University]
* [http://www.smmmc.org/clinicalservices/neuroscience/treatments/parkinsons.shtml/ Saint Mary’s Hauenstein Parkinson’s Center]
* [http://www.vai.org/About/Leadership/Trustees.aspx/ Van Andel Research Institute]
* [http://www.jamestown.org/board.php/ The Jamestown Foundation]
* [http://www.aquinas.edu/library/ The Grace Hauenstein Library]
* [http://www.hippocrenebooks.com/ Hippocrene Books]
* [http://www.educationnews.org/PR/Ralph_Hauenstein_honored.htm/ Education News]
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