“You take on the personality of your leaders. I believe that. You don’t try to do it—it just happens.”
Richard L. Duchossois
Honor. Innovation. Collaboration. Passion. Imagination. Building. Creating. Decorated veteran. Revered business leader. Beloved husband and father.
The values of the RLD Foundation are a reflection of the man himself.
Richard L. Duchossois lived, served, and inspired through a set of guiding principles, creating a legacy of empowering others.
Countless individuals and communities have been touched by his life’s work, helping those who crossed his path to better realize their own purpose and potential.
His legacy inspires us to help tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges faced by communities throughout Chicago and beyond, compelled by one of his favorite mantras:
“Quit? Hell No!”
Leader. Builder. Visionary.
A Life Unbounded
1921
October 7, 1921: Richard L. Duchossois is born in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago’s south side, where he attends Morgan Park Military Academy — a fortuitous education for events to come.
1939-40
He attends Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, for a year and a half before being called for military service.
1941-46
5 European tours, including at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, commanding the 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion of the United States Army. Rising to the rank of Major, he serves as the military governor of the Eichstatt region. He is awarded a Bronze Star and, for his injuries at the Moselle River, a Purple Heart. His war experience would guide and inform every facet of his life and career.
1946
He joins forces with his father-in-law A.J. Thrall to form Thrall Car, with RLD becoming President—a position he holds until 1980—and they successfully grow the company into one of the largest manufacturers of rail cars.
1977
Acquires an ownership stake in Chamberlain Manufacturing Corporation – one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial and residential garage doors, among other products — and later becomes its majority owner and Chairman.
1983
He founds The Duchossois Group (TDG), a family-owned enterprise designed to manage their diversified line of businesses. That same year he purchases an ownership stake in Arlington Park Racetrack.
1985
A small fire spreads out of control, burning Arlington Park to the ground. Others want to divest, but his sense of duty drives him to stay and rebuild.
1986
Awarded the American Jockey Club Gold Medal.
1988
Receives the Special Sovereign Award from the Jockey Club of Canada.
2000
Oversees the merger of Arlington Park with Churchill Downs Incorporated.
2003
Bestowed the Eclipse Award of Merit.
2014
Bestowed the Legion d’Honneur distinction from the French government while in Normandy for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. Along with his wife Judi, receives the Sword of Loyola for philanthropy from Loyola University Chicago the same year.
2015
Receives the Washington Award from his alma mater, Washington and Lee University – who also grant him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
2019
For his contributions to the Arlington Park Racetrack and the sport of horseracing, he is inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.
2019
For his contributions at Arlington and to the sport of horseracing, he is inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
2021
After serving on the board of the World War II Museum from 2012 to 2019, he receives its highest honor: The American Spirit Award.
2022
Less than four months after celebrating his 100th birthday, Richard L. Duchossois passes away in Barrington Hills, Illinois.
2022
The foundation that bears his name and which dedicates itself to supporting the communities that mattered most to him, commences operations.
