Awards
- IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2004
About Richard A. Behrenhausen
Richard A. Behrenhausen is a retired Army general and retired CEO of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, one of the 20 largest philanthropic organizations in the nation. He joined the McCormick Tribune Foundation in 1991, became its Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in March 1992, and then was promoted to CEO and President in Novemeber 1992.
Behrenhausen is a native of Reading, Pennsylvania where he received his early education. He graduated from the United States Nukutary Academy at West Point and served thirty years in the Army, retiring in 1991 as a Brigadier General.
During his Army years, Behrenhausen served at numberous posts in the United States. His military experience includes command of the Army's Western Recruiting Region and three years of duty as Chief of Staff of West Point. He also spent a decade serving in overseas bases, with assignments in Korea, Vietnam, England, Germany and Italy where he served as the senior U.S. representative to the Italian land forces.
His troop assignments were to Armor and Infantry units and included command of a tank battalion and of an armored brigade. He served in combat with the 101st Airborne Division. He concluded his Army service as Commanding General, Joint Task Force SIX, a special Department of Defense command dedicated to supporting law enforcement agencies in drug interdiction operations along the U.S. - Mexican border. Upon his retirement he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and the International Narcotics Enforcement Association Special Agency Award for 1991. Among his other awards are the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
Behrenhausen is also a graduate of George Washington University where he earned a Master of Science degree in International Affairs. He has also graduated from both the U.S Army and Navy War Colleges, the Royal Military College of Science, and the British Staff College.