Former treasury secretary to be given prestigious GVSU award

Former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill will be awarded the Col. Ralph W. Hauenstein Fellowship July 14, by leaders of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University.

O'Neill will be presented with the Hauenstein Fellowship following his remarks at the 2015 William E. Simon Lecture, hosted by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, Library and Museum. 

The fellowship, presented by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley, is one of the university’s most prestigious awards, and is periodically awarded to a distinguished public servant whose achievements are consistent with the ethical leadership and public service of Col. Ralph W. Hauenstein, the namesake of the center.

The award has previously been given to Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Secretary of State James Baker, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and President Gerald R. Ford, posthumously. 

Hauenstein has been a journalist, war hero, entrepreneur and philanthropist. During World War II he rose to the rank of colonel and worked under General Dwight Eisenhower. In 1944-45, he was among the first Americans into liberated Paris, war-torn Germany, and Nazi concentration camps. He is 103 years old.