A loyal reader brought to our attention the death last week at age 103 of a western Michigan philanthropist, Ralph Hauenstein. Our scribe writes that Hauenstein was “a real American hero” and encouraged us to read about him, since “we have so few chances left to say thank you to this generation.”
Hauenstein indeed lived quite a life. He moved to Grand Rapids as a child and built a life there that changed that community for the better. Along the way he briefly joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and served as city editor of the Grand Rapids Herald. When World War II broke out, he joined as a reserve officer, eventually running the intelligence branch for the U.S. Army’s European Theater. History buffs might enjoy the book he wrote on his experiences, Intelligence Was My Line: Inside Eisenhower’s Other Command.
After the war, Hauenstein went into business, where he worked in international trade and manufacturing. He was president of the Tri-Continental Trading company and later served as chairman of the Werner Lehara Corporation in Grand Rapids. Ike wasn’t the only president Ralph Hauenstein knew personally. As one might guess of a prominent figure in Grand Rapids, the odds of his knowing Gerry Ford were pretty high. But to say they knew each other would be putting it mildly: They were high school football rivals who later became close friends. Hauenstein was a Ford backer from his early days in Congress, and when Ford died, he was asked to serve as part of the funeral honor guard.
If this weren’t enough of a legacy, Hauenstein donated millions to local institutions in western Michigan. Two bear his name. At Grand Valley State University is the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and the Hauenstein Center at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s hospital (which specializes in neuroscience). He and his wife also donated to Aquinas College, where the library bears her name.
President Ford once hailed Hauenstein as “a true American hero.” The Scrapbook wholeheartedly agrees.
