Grand Valley benefactor to meet Tony Blair

Ralph Hauenstein, a Grand Valley benefactor and long-time Grand Rapids businessman, will have an opportunity to meet Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, when Blair speaks to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids on May 29.

Blair is the featured speaker at the club’s annual dinner meeting. The group will also honor Jim Hackett as Businessperson of the Year, and Sister Aquinas Weber with the Slykhouse Lifetime Achievement Award.

Hauenstein, who helped create Grand Valley’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, has a special tie to the United Kingdom. In 1945 Hauenstein was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his service with the Allied powers in World War II. He was presented the medal aboard the ship Mauretania in July 1947.

He served in England and Europe during the war as a colonel in the intelligence division of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. 

Hauenstein, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, has earned many honors for his service in the military, including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the European, African, and Middle Eastern Service medals. He was recently awarded the French Legion of Honor medal as well.