Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation
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Claude W. Ahrens was born on August 18, 1912. He graduated
from Grinnell High School in Grinnell, IA and attended Grinnell
College. He married Dorothy "Dolly" Hey in 1937. Claude and
Dolly had one son, Paul W. Ahrens, father to Susan, Chad, and
Julie.
In 1940, Claude started the Ahrens Hybrid Seed Corn Company,
which he later sold to Cargill, Inc. He then launched Ahrens
Manufacturing Company, initially relying on a single product; the
Miracle Whirl. The merry-go-round set a new standard for the
recreation industry. Ahrens Manufacturing became Miracle
Recreation Equipment Company, and more revolutionary designs
followed. Miracle Recreation became the world's number one
manufacturer of and his son, Paul, had put together a series of
design innovations that resulted in sixteen patents for their
company. Not satisfied with his "retirement", Claude founded
Miraco Company, which manufactures livestock watering systems
for worldwide distribution.
In 1994, Claude donated more than four million dollars and fifty
acres of land to build the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park and
Ahrens Family Center, a 26,000 square foot facility. The park is a
tribute to Claude's late son, Paul, who passed away in 1989 at the
age of fifty, and a friend of Paul's, Jim Paschall, who also passed
away at a fairly young age. Building a recreational park had always
been a life long dream for both Claude and his son, Paul.
The Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park is home to eight youth
softball and baseball fields, two outdoor basketball courts, two
tennis courts, a sand volleyball court, several playground areas,
shelters, a sledding hill, and a one and a half mile outdoor walking
path. The Ahrens Family Center houses the Grinnell Community
Day Care and Preschool and Mid Iowa Community Action's Head
Start program, complete with an indoor youth gymnasium and
swimming pool, where young children are taught to swim and to
enjoy many leisure activities.
Grinnell College awarded Claude an Honorary Doctorate degree in
1995 for his outstanding leadership and philanthropic gifts to the
community of Grinnell and central Iowa. This prestigious award,
however, did not stop Claude from doing and giving more.
In 1998, Claude built the Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center, a
22,000 square foot gymnasium as a new addition to
Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park. In the year 2000, a third
addition to the park brought forth three outdoor soccer fields for
youth, as well as a golf driving range for golfers of all ages. Today,
the entire park comprises over one hundred acres of land.
In June of 2006, the Administrative Headquarters building for
both the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation and the Ahrens
Park Foundation opened at the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park.
Currently, the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation has three
staff members and provides students of Grinnell College various
positions through the college's community work-study program.
Today, the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park, Ahrens Family
Center, Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center, and the
Administrative Headquarters are privately owned and operated by
the Ahrens Park Foundation. Claude's third generation of family
members is leading his legacy to carry on his wishes of giving back
to the community that was so good to him.
"I hope it can be said that every child can learn to swing a golf
club or a tennis racquet and learn how to swim. I believe if
children learn these things they'll have less of a chance of getting
bored. If you teach children how valuable their bodies are, they
are not going to allow themselves to deteriorate."
- Claude Ahrens at the 1994 dedication ceremony of the
Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park and Ahrens Family Center.
from Grinnell High School in Grinnell, IA and attended Grinnell
College. He married Dorothy "Dolly" Hey in 1937. Claude and
Dolly had one son, Paul W. Ahrens, father to Susan, Chad, and
Julie.
In 1940, Claude started the Ahrens Hybrid Seed Corn Company,
which he later sold to Cargill, Inc. He then launched Ahrens
Manufacturing Company, initially relying on a single product; the
Miracle Whirl. The merry-go-round set a new standard for the
recreation industry. Ahrens Manufacturing became Miracle
Recreation Equipment Company, and more revolutionary designs
followed. Miracle Recreation became the world's number one
manufacturer of and his son, Paul, had put together a series of
design innovations that resulted in sixteen patents for their
company. Not satisfied with his "retirement", Claude founded
Miraco Company, which manufactures livestock watering systems
for worldwide distribution.
In 1994, Claude donated more than four million dollars and fifty
acres of land to build the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park and
Ahrens Family Center, a 26,000 square foot facility. The park is a
tribute to Claude's late son, Paul, who passed away in 1989 at the
age of fifty, and a friend of Paul's, Jim Paschall, who also passed
away at a fairly young age. Building a recreational park had always
been a life long dream for both Claude and his son, Paul.
The Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park is home to eight youth
softball and baseball fields, two outdoor basketball courts, two
tennis courts, a sand volleyball court, several playground areas,
shelters, a sledding hill, and a one and a half mile outdoor walking
path. The Ahrens Family Center houses the Grinnell Community
Day Care and Preschool and Mid Iowa Community Action's Head
Start program, complete with an indoor youth gymnasium and
swimming pool, where young children are taught to swim and to
enjoy many leisure activities.
Grinnell College awarded Claude an Honorary Doctorate degree in
1995 for his outstanding leadership and philanthropic gifts to the
community of Grinnell and central Iowa. This prestigious award,
however, did not stop Claude from doing and giving more.
In 1998, Claude built the Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center, a
22,000 square foot gymnasium as a new addition to
Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park. In the year 2000, a third
addition to the park brought forth three outdoor soccer fields for
youth, as well as a golf driving range for golfers of all ages. Today,
the entire park comprises over one hundred acres of land.
In June of 2006, the Administrative Headquarters building for
both the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation and the Ahrens
Park Foundation opened at the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park.
Currently, the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation has three
staff members and provides students of Grinnell College various
positions through the college's community work-study program.
Today, the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park, Ahrens Family
Center, Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center, and the
Administrative Headquarters are privately owned and operated by
the Ahrens Park Foundation. Claude's third generation of family
members is leading his legacy to carry on his wishes of giving back
to the community that was so good to him.
"I hope it can be said that every child can learn to swing a golf
club or a tennis racquet and learn how to swim. I believe if
children learn these things they'll have less of a chance of getting
bored. If you teach children how valuable their bodies are, they
are not going to allow themselves to deteriorate."
- Claude Ahrens at the 1994 dedication ceremony of the
Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park and Ahrens Family Center.
Founder's Legacy