Dolly, Paul and Claude Ahrens – 1944
Paul Ahrens on 6ft. Miracle Junior Whirl
Claude on the Miracle eight-horse Carousel
Claude and Dolly Ahrens
Jim Paschall and Paul Ahrens – 1978
Dolly Ahrens in her garden
Paul Ahrens/Jim Paschall Memorial Park
Claude and Dolly Ahrens
Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens
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. Dolly was born in 1917 and grew up in Marshalltown, IA. Dolly was a star basketball player on the high school team. 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 with his father, John, 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 playground equipment. Claude and his son, Paul, had put together a series of design innovations that resulted in sixteen patents for their company.
In 1965, Claude was part of an Iowa Trade Mission along with other business and agricultural leaders led by Iowa Governor Harold Hughes and President Lyndon B. Johnson who toured several European countries with the goal to boost American exports. In the 1980’s, not satisfied with his “retirement,” Claude founded Miraco Company, which manufactures livestock watering systems for worldwide distribution.
While Claude was busy building businesses Dolly served as a devoted mother to their son, Paul. She was an avid golf player and exceptional hostess and cook. A 1971 newspaper article in the Des Moines Register illustrated how much Dolly provided the foundation for her and Claude’s reputation as hospitable enthusiastic party givers. Dolly played an important role in Claude’s work by entertaining and always acting as the willing hostess when he invited salespeople or clients to Grinnell. The article described her as serving meals to groups ranging from 78 family members for a Christmas dinner, to 91 P.E.O.’s and their husbands for a sit-down dinner, to 250 conventioneers for an indoor-outdoor business dinner. In the article she told the reporter that she enjoyed feeding large groups, and demonstrated how her house was set up for entertaining.
Dolly was very down-to-earth and had the gift of treating people the same no matter who they were. She always tried to help those in need. Dolly was Claude’s “rock,” the one he always leaned on and depended on to be there for him. Married to Claude for fifty-five years, Dolly lost her fight to breast cancer in 1992.
In a 1993 speech to the National Recreation and Parks Association, Claude challenged those in attendance to follow the sage advice of his father John “to leave the world a better place than you found it.” Claude then announced his surprise one million dollar gift to kickoff the capital campaign for the organization’s new headquarters located in Ashburn, VA. After the new Ahrens Institute opened, a statue of Claude was added with his “leave it better than you found it” quote due to his many contributions to the parks and recreation industry during his lifetime.
In 1993, Claude also donated more than four million dollars and fifty acres of land to build the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park, a recreational and athletic complex and the Ahrens Family Center, a multi-use childcare 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, outdoor basketball courts, a tennis court, four pickleball courts, a sand volleyball court, several playground areas, three shelter houses, a sledding hill, community gardens, green spaces, and a one and a half mile outdoor walking path. The Ahrens Family Center houses the Grinnell Community Early Learning Center, complete with an indoor youth gymnasium and private outdoor playground areas, where young children enjoy many leisure activities.
In 1994, Claude W. Ahrens established the Dolly Ahrens Achievement Scholarship Award for graduating seniors of Grinnell High School. Over 300 scholarships and $775,000 has been awarded to date.
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 donated more land to build the Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center, a multi-purpose gymnasium as a new addition to Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park. In 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 is comprised of 80 acres of land.
In June of 2006, the administrative foundation offices building for both the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation and the Ahrens Park Foundation opened at Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park. In 2011, an addition to the building was completed, doubling its size. In 2022, a second addition and renovation of the building occurred. Offices for the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation and the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District are also housed here.
Today, the Ahrens/Paschall Memorial Park, is 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.