Ken Behring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ken Behring
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| Born |
Kenneth Eugene Behring
June 13, 1928 Freeport, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | June 25, 2019 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Real estate developer Football team owner Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Behring |
| Children | 5 |
Kenneth Eugene Behring (June 13, 1928 – June 25, 2019) was an American real estate developer. He was also known for owning the National Football League (NFL) team, the Seattle Seahawks. Later in his life, he became a well-known philanthropist, which means he gave a lot of money to good causes.
Contents
Early Life and Work
Ken Behring was born in Freeport, Illinois. When he was four, his family moved to Monroe, Wisconsin. His family did not have much money. His father worked in a lumber yard, and his mother cleaned houses.
Ken started working at a young age, around seven years old. He did many different jobs, like mowing lawns and selling newspapers. By age 16, he was a salesperson at Montgomery Ward. He also started his own business selling sporting goods while still in high school.
He played high school football and earned a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. However, he had an injury that stopped him from playing football. Because of this, he lost his scholarship and left college.
Building a Career
After college, Ken Behring, who loved cars, worked as a salesperson at a car dealership. When he was 21, he started his own used car business called Behring Motors. He was very good at business. By the time he was 27, he was earning a lot of money and had many valuable things.
In 1956, Ken moved to Florida. There, he started the Behring Construction Company. He became a land developer, building new communities. In 1962, he founded Tamarac Lakes, a new community in Fort Lauderdale. This area used to be wetlands and fields. The new development became the city of Tamarac, Florida in 1963. Ken's company grew to be the biggest builder of single-family homes in Florida. It was also one of the top ten largest in the United States.
In 1972, Ken Behring moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in California. He helped develop the country club at Blackhawk, California. He also worked on the Canyon Lakes Development in San Ramon, California.
Owning the Seattle Seahawks
In 1988, Ken Behring and his partner Ken Hofmann bought the NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks. They bought the team from the Nordstrom family. After the 1995 football season, they moved the team's main operations to Anaheim, California. However, the team still played its games in Seattle. In 1997, Ken Behring sold the team to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Ken Behring was listed several times on the Forbes 400 list. This list names the richest Americans. In 1997, his wealth was estimated at nearly $500 million. He has since been called a billionaire by the news.
In 2004, Ken Behring wrote a book about his life called Road to Purpose. He wrote another version in 2013 called The Road to Leadership. In his book, he said he was an "average man" who found great success. He also wrote that true happiness came from finding a purpose and helping others.
Family Life
Ken Behring married his wife, Patricia (Pat), when he was 21 years old. They had five sons. By 2018, they also had ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Helping Others: Philanthropy
Ken Behring was very active in giving back to the community. He started several important organizations and made large donations.
Blackhawk Museum
In 1988, Ken Behring helped start the Blackhawk Museum. This museum was created to show his personal collection of vintage cars. The museum has grown to include other exhibits too.
Donations to the Smithsonian
Ken Behring gave a lot of money to the Smithsonian Institution, which runs many famous museums in Washington, D.C.
In 1997, he promised $20 million to the National Museum of Natural History. This money was meant for education. It helped to fix up the museum's main hall and create a traveling exhibit. It also helped create the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals, which opened in 2003. This exhibit is about 22,500 square feet. It shows 274 mammal specimens and many interactive displays. Visitors can learn how mammals have adapted to different places.
In 2000, Ken Behring promised another $80 million to the National Museum of American History. Part of this money was for a hall honoring "American legends." Another part paid for an exhibit about American presidents. A large portion also funded an exhibit called "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War," which opened in 2004. Because of his large gift, the museum's main building was renamed the "Behring Center." This was one of the biggest cash donations ever given to a U.S. museum by a living person.
Supporting Education
In 2000, Ken Behring also donated $7.5 million to the University of California, Berkeley. This money helped expand a program that trains school principals. The new Kenneth E. Behring Center for Educational Improvement focused on training programs for public-school principals. It also provided scholarships for aspiring principals every year.
Wheelchair Foundation
In 2000, Ken Behring founded the Wheelchair Foundation in Blackhawk, California. The goal of this foundation is to give free wheelchairs to people with physical disabilities in developing nations. These are countries where people might not be able to afford a wheelchair. By 2013, the Wheelchair Foundation had given away over 940,000 wheelchairs in 152 countries around the world.
He also started the WaterLeaders Foundation in 2005. This group works to help provide safe drinking water around the world. In 2010, he said he had given away between $200 million and $300 million. He was very interested in helping with global health issues.
In 2009, Ken Behring donated $1.9 million to National History Day. This donation was meant to help improve how history is taught and learned in middle and high schools across the country.
Ken Behring was also involved with the Global Health and Education Foundation. This foundation is a larger group that includes the Wheelchair Foundation and other charities he supported.
In 2014, Ken Behring added a new section to the Blackhawk Museum. It was called The Spirit of the Old West. This exhibit shows items from the American Old West of the 1800s.
Later Years and Passing
Ken Behring passed away in 2019 at the age of 91 in Contra Costa County, California. The Seattle Seahawks football team shared a message saying they were sad to hear of his passing and sent their thoughts to his family and friends.
Images for kids
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Ken Behring
