When Walter Ausenheimer served as Executive Director for the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation from 1980 to 1988, he made a major impact on the organization. To recognize his dedicated work to the Foundation, the Board of Governors created the Walter E. Ausenheimer Fund upon Mr. Ausenheimer's retirement as Executive Director. The use and disposition of the income and principle of this fund is left to the discretion of the Board of the Foundation.

Mr. Ausenheimer was born in Bucyrus, Ohio, son of the late August W. and Louise Marz Ausenheimer. A graduate of Bucyrus High School, he acquired an undergraduate degree from Ohio University at Athens.

Mr. Ausenheimer came to Parkersburg in 1964 as the first president of the newly-created Walker-Parkersburg Division of the Textron Corp. after Textron purchased the Parkersburg Rig and Reel Corp. At the same time, Textron moved its manufacturing facilities of the Walker Bros. and their underfloor operations to Parkersburg from Conshohocken,Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Parkersburg, Mr. Ausenheimer was controller for the McBee Co. of Athens and worked in other executive positions for the Royal McBee Corp. of New York. He was the controller for Walker Bros. in Conshohocken before his move to Parkersburg.

After his retirement from Walker, Mr. Ausenheimer served as chairman of the board of trustees of Camden ClarkMemorial Hospital and Executive Director of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. He also completed two assignments for the International Executive Service Corps. in the Philippines and in Thailand.

Mr. Ausenheimer was a US Navy veteran of World War II and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Parkersburg. Mr. Ausenheimer was married to Marie T. Ausenheimer; at the time of his death in June 1989, they had been married for fifty years. Over the years, Mrs. Ausenheimer continued to support the Walter E. Ausenheimer Fund with many generous donations. Mrs. Ausenheimer passed away in 2004.