Ken Behring

Ken Behring
Born (1928-06-13) June 13, 1928
Freeport, Illinois
Nationality American
Occupation Real estate developer
Football team owner
Philanthropist
Spouse(s) Patricia Behring
Children 5

Kenneth (Ken) Eugene Behring (born June 13, 1928)[1] is an American real estate developer, philanthropist, and former owner of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks.

Early years

Behring was born in Freeport, Illinois. His family moved to Monroe, Wisconsin, when he was four. He grew up in poverty; his father worked in a lumber yard making 25 cents an hour, and his mother cleaned houses. Behring started working a variety of jobs around town starting at age seven: mowing lawns, caddying, transporting milk, selling newspapers, working at a grocery store and at a lumberyard. He became a salesperson at Montgomery Ward at age 16, and started a side business selling sporting goods in town. Behring attended Monroe High School. A high-school football player, he received a partial football scholarship to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, but dropped out of college due to an injury that left him unable to play football, and therefore ineligible for his scholarship.[2][3]

Career

Out of college, Behring, a car buff, worked as a salesperson at a Chevrolet and Chrysler auto dealership. At age 21, he started a used car business called Behring Motors in Monroe, Wisconsin.[2] A savvy businessman, he was earning $50,000 a year and had $1 million in assets by age 27.[4]

Ken Behring moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1956 and started the Behring Construction Company. He became a land developer, founding Tamarac Lakes, a new active-adult (which later became all-age) community in 1962. It was built on an area that was formerly wetlands, pastures, and fields.[5] The new development was incorporated as Tamarac, Florida on July 25, 1963.[2][5][6]

Behring's company eventually became the largest builder of single-family homes in Florida,[7] and the tenth largest in the United States.[2]

In 1972, Behring moved to the San Francisco Bay Area,[8] where he was involved in developing the country club at Blackhawk, California, and later, the Canyon Lakes Development in San Ramon, California.[8][9]

In 1988, Behring and partner Ken Hofmann purchased the NFL's Seattle Seahawks football team for $79 or $99 million (both numbers have been reported).[4][10] They transferred the team's operations to Anaheim, California in 1996, a widely criticized move, although the team continued to play in Seattle. They sold the team to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1997, for $200 million.[10]

Behring has been listed several times on the annual Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, including 1991,[11] 1995,[11] and 1997.[12] In 1997, his last year on the list,[13] he ranked #395, with an estimated net worth of $495 million.[12] He's since been described in the press as a billionaire.[14][15]

In 2004, Behring published a memoir called Road to Purpose: One Man's Journey Bringing Hope to Millions and Finding Purpose Along the Way.[16][17] In 2013, he published a revised edition of the memoir titled The Road to Leadership: Finding a Life of Purpose..[18] In his memoir, Behring describes himself as an "average man who achieved extraordinary material success doing a few simple things" who later discovered the "true foundation of joy" was finding purpose and causes worth fighting for.

Family

Behring married his wife Patricia (Pat) at age 21. They have five sons, and as of 2005, ten grandchildren.[19]

Philanthropy

Behring was involved in founding the Blackhawk Museum (originally the Blackhawk Automotive Museum) in 1988, created, in part, to house his personal collection of vintage cars; he was criticized for the tax exemption he sought and received for donating his cars to his museum.[8][20]

Behring pledged $20 million to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in 1997, with the intention that it be used for educational purposes. At the time, the money was allocated for refurbishing the museum's rotunda, supporting a traveling exhibition, and endowing the museum's new Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals, which opened in 2003.[21] There were concerns around the terms of the donation, linked to Behring's endangered species hunting controversy.[22] According to the Smithsonian's website, the 22,500-square-foot (2,090 m2) space now features 274 mammal specimens, nearly a dozen fossils, and a variety of interactive learning experiences. The exhibit is said to provide visitors with a global perspective of how mammals have adapted to different habitats, and includes four "Discovery Zones" for hands-on exploration of mammal adaptations such as night vision and goose bumps.

He pledged another $80 million to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 2000.[7] Of the $80 million, $20 million was allocated for a hall honoring "American legends and legacies", paying "tribute to deceased individuals who made great contributions to our country and who truly epitomize the 'American spirit'",[23] $4 million paid for an exhibition on the American presidency,[14] and another $16 million funded an exhibit called "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War", opened in 2004.[24] In return, Behring's contract required that the museum rename its main facility the "Behring Center".[25] MuseumNews called Behring's donation "purportedly the largest cash donation ever to be given to a U.S. museum by a living person",[3] and Behring was given the Smithsonian's James Smithson Award for his contributions.[26] In 2001, a memorandum by a group of curators and scholars at the Museum of American History expressed concerns about Behring's gift, and criticized the museum for hiring Behring's personal architect to do a study on modernizing the museum's exhibition space; a Smithsonian official denied accusations of impropriety.[27] According to The New York Times, Behring's gift was also then criticized in the museum world, as some museum professionals charged that he had been given too much power to "dictate the nature and content of the museum's exhibitions."[23] According to then-Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small, "A gift of this magnitude is unprecedented. We are delighted to honor this great benefactor to the Smithsonian Institution by establishing the Behring Center. Mr. Behring's generous contribution will allow us to being a complete transformation and modernization of the National Museum of American History, the only museum of its kind in the world."

In 2000, Behring also donated $7.5 million to expand the University of California, Berkeley's Principal Leadership Institute; the newly established Kenneth E. Behring Center for Educational Improvement focused on training programs for public-school principals, providing scholarships for fifty aspiring principals every year.[28][29][30] UC Berkeley awarded him a Chancellor's Citation in 2001.[31]

Behring founded the Wheelchair Foundation in Blackhawk, California in 2000, to provide free wheelchairs for people with physical disabilities in developing nations unable to afford one. As of September 2013, the Wheelchair Foundation had given away over 940,000 wheelchairs in 152 countries around the globe.[26]

He founded the WaterLeaders Foundation, a nonprofit group working to support safe drinking water around the world, in 2005.[32] In a 2010 interview, he estimated having given away between $200 and $300 million and described his interest in issues of global health.[33]

In 2009, Behring made a $1.9 million donation to National History Day, intended to "improve the teaching and learning of history at middle and high schools throughout the country."[34]

Behring is also active with the Global Health and Education Foundation, a "united network of charitable organizations" which subsumes the Wheelchair Foundation and is described as "Behring's larger charity umbrella."[35][36]

In 2014 Behring added a section to the Blackhawk Museum called The Spirit of the Old West a permanent exhibit on mainly the old west of the 1800s. The majority of the collection was from Jerry Fick who built up the collection through 60 years.

Controversies

Sexual harassment

A 1999 story in Seattle Weekly reported that "Behring...settled several sex harassment claims in recent years."[37] The most prominent of these cases was the 1996 allegation by former employee Patricia Parker that she had been sexually harassed over the course of two years, and assaulted at a New Year's Day event,[37][38] while being "required to cover for Behring's sexual activities and liaisions in the executive offices with a number of women."[39][40] The New York Times reported that Parker "accused Behring of making advances, asking her to pick up his prescription sex-enhancing drugs and requiring she keep waivers on hand for his potential sex partners to sign away their rights to demand money of him."[41] Behring denied the charges,[38] and the case was settled out of court in 1996.[41]

References

  1. ↑ Semmes, Ben. "Ken Behring a self-made millionaire". Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kenneth E. Behring". The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  3. 1 2 O'Brien, Allie J. (2000-09-25). "Largest Donation Ever to a U.S. Museum". MuseumNetwork.com. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
  4. 1 2 Semmes, Ben (2006-07-10). "Ken Behring a local legend". Tri-Valley Herald. Archived from the original on 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  5. 1 2 "Adopted Budget, Fiscal Year 2006" (PDF). City Commission, Tamarac, Florida. 2006. p. 5. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  6. ↑ United States Department of Housing and Urban Development vs. TEMS Association (US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Office of Administrative law Judges 1992). Text Archived February 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. 1 2 "Smithsonian Institution Announces Biggest Single Donation in its 154-year History". Smithsonian National Museum of American History. 2000-09-19. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  8. 1 2 3 Mike Davis (2000-11-27). "Museum Hawk: The Blackhawk". The Car Connection.com. DA Acquisitions Inc. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  9. ↑ Blackhawk Services. "Kenneth E. Behring". Archived from the original on 2005-02-13. Retrieved 2006-02-11.
  10. 1 2 "Seattle's Own" (PDF). Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2002. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  11. 1 2 "Kenneth Eugene Behring". NameBase. Archived from the original on 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2006-02-13.
  12. 1 2 Kyle, Robert (September 2000). "Butterfield's to Sell Guns to Buy Wheelchairs". Maine Antique Digest. Retrieved 2006-08-10.
  13. ↑ "Near Misses". Forbes. 1998-10-12. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
  14. 1 2 Marquis, Christopher (2000-09-19). "Smithsonian Receives Gift Of $80 Million". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  15. ↑ Dahlberg, Carrie Peyton (2007-09-23). "Museum ethics evolve". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  16. ↑ "Road To Purpose By Kenneth E. Behring". www.wheelchairfoundation.org. Wheelchair Foundation. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
  17. ↑ Behring, Kenneth (2004). Road to purpose. Alexandria, VA: Blackhawk Press. ISBN 0-9761912-0-2.
  18. ↑ Kenneth E. Behring (13 June 2013). The Road to Leadership. Blackhawk Press. ISBN 978-0-9761912-2-3.
  19. ↑ "Kenneth E. Behring Biography". www.waterleaders.org. WaterLeaders Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  20. ↑ Benca, Jeanine (2003-11-16). "Blackhawk Museum cuts exhibits". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  21. ↑ Gray, Jerry (1997-11-06). "The Smithsonian Receives a Gift of $20 Million". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  22. ↑ Gottwald, Linda (2000-02-03). "How to Bag Your Own Endangered Species". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
  23. 1 2 Sciolino, Elaine (2001-08-06). "Smithsonian Must Exhibit Ingenuity in the Face of Overlapping Gifts". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  24. ↑ O'Connell, Johnathan (2004-11-10). "Price of 'Freedom'? $16 million". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 14, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
  25. ↑ Goodheart, Adam (2002-04-24). "Smithsonian's Veteran Man-in-the-Middle Stands His Ground". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  26. 1 2 "Kenneth E. Behring - Biography". www.wheelchairfoundation.org. Wheelchair Foundation. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  27. ↑ Sciolino, Elaine (2001-05-26). "Smithsonian Group Criticizes Official on Donor Contract". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  28. ↑ "The 2000 Slate 60: The 60 largest American charitable contributions of 2000". Slate. 2001-01-22. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  29. ↑ "New program to prepare principals for California's urban schools gets $7.5 million gift from Bay Area philanthropist". Berkeleyan. UC Berkeley. 2000-08-16. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
  30. ↑ "Graduate School of Education: Development and External Relations, Giving Overview". gse.berkeley.edu. University of California Berkeley Graduate School of Education. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  31. ↑ "University of California, Berkeley The Chancellor's Citation List of Recipients As of 11/14/2005" (PDF). University of California, Berkeley Awards Program. Retrieved 2006-08-13. line feed character in |publisher= at position 35 (help)
  32. ↑ "Founder's Message". www.waterleaders.org. WaterLeaders Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
  33. ↑ "Interview with Ken Behring". Philanthropy Round Table. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
  34. ↑ "National History Day Receives Major Gift from Kenneth Behring". Perspectives on History. American Historical Association. February 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Global Health & Education Foundation: About". Global Health & Education Foundation. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  36. ↑ Constanty, Joseph. "The billionaire who's donating thousands of wheelchairs to China". CNN Travel. CNN. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  37. 1 2 Anderson, Rick (1999-06-16). "Paul Allen's Tinsel Town Nightmare". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
  38. 1 2 "Workplace sexual harassment knows no rank". USA Today. 1999-03-01. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
  39. ↑ Associated Press (1996-07-12). "Court Documents Detail Behring's Sexual Escapades". Daily News. Los Angeles. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  40. ↑ Wallace, James (1996-04-17). "Former Behring Aide Alleges Harassment Suit, Says Hawks Owner Made Sexual Advances". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  41. 1 2 "Harassment Case Settled". New York Times. 1996-08-14. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
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