Editorial: 'Mr. D' left behind a more valuable legacy than his financial fortune

On Friday, Richard L. Duchossois died an exceptionally wealthy man. But the legacy of his 100-yearslong life had little to do with material prosperity.

Likely, the story of Duchossois that will be told long after the storied Arlington International Racecourse has been pushed aside to make way for an NFL stadium will be the astonishing tale of how, through sheer will and inspirational leadership, he and his employees and staff managed to host the renowned Arlington Million thoroughbred race 25 days after a devastating 1985 fire destroyed the clubhouse and grandstand.

"Maybe it was a little bit of stupidity on my part to think we could do this," Duchossois said in a 2015 interview, "but it never dawned on me that we couldn't."

We should all be so stupid.

Not only did the Duchossois team rescue an endangered Million but four years after the fire, it reopened Arlington Park as one of the preeminent horse racing venues in the world, known as much for its family-friendly commitment to entertainment and customer service as its appeal to gamblers and lovers of "the ponies."

The driving force almost everyone involved credits for the transformation was the legendary "Mr. D."

But Mr. D was providing lessons about overcoming adversity long before he bought out three business partners to take sole control of the track in 1986.

Serving under General George Patton during World War II in his early 20s, he rose to the rank of major and became a decorated commander of the 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion. He got "knocked around," as he once described his service, in five major European campaigns and took part in Patton's historic race to push Nazi forces out of France. Once after being badly injured in the fighting, he left a field hospital to return to the battlefield. His actions during the conflict earned him two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart.

Nor was his life solely about overcoming adversity or building successful businesses. He was also known for his commitment to his family, his community and his philanthropy, especially focused on cancer research through the Duchossois Family Foundation.

For efforts sports writer Jim O'Donnell describes elsewhere in his Daily Herald remembrance this weekend, Duchossois will likely hold a permanent place in the hearts of the Daily Herald family for the compassion and generosity he showed during one of the most traumatic experiences in our own personal history, helping make helicopters available for an abortive search for our friend and colleague Keith Reinhard, whose disappearance in Colorado in the 1980s has never been solved.

Duchossois, who would become the largest stockholder in Churchill Downs after the company purchased Arlington Park in 2000, died quietly at home in Barrington Hills three months after his 100th birthday and the announcement of a $197.2 million deal with the Chicago Bears that signaled the all-but-certainly final race at the renowned oval.

He leaves behind a remarkable personal legacy and lifetimes of memories for suburban families and racing enthusiasts worldwide. Business people may take lessons for years from the acumen he showed in amassing a singular family fortune, but it is his compassion, determination and commitment to excellence that will remain in the hearts of our suburban community for the ages.