Vernon Eldor Behrhorst was born in Brazilton, Kansas on August 22, 1928. He received his B.S. in Education and Geography in 1951 from Concordia University and his M.A. in Geography in 1956 from Northwestern University. For his Geography M.A., he specialized in water resources, cartography, and Latin America.

In 1957, Behrhorst became an Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). During this time, he began conducting research on Louisiana’s water resources and became involved in its development. He served multiple positions for the Louisiana Intracoastal Seaway Association (LISA), including as Chairman, President, and Executive Director. The aim of the association was to manage tasks such as water supply, wetlands management, and flood control. One act Behrhorst was influential on was helping pass legislation for the Louisiana Coastal Area Study, which would develop a coastal zone management program. His involvement with LISA ran from 1958 to 1991.

Behrhorst also served as an administrator for the Governor’s Office of Water Policy in Louisiana, Assistant Director of the National Ports and Waterways Institute at Louisiana State University, and Executive Director of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association (GICA) in Lafayette, LA. This latter position included working with governmental and private agencies to insure the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway’s operation and maintenance. Such agencies involved were the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and various state departments. Some of Behrhorst’s accomplishments as Executive Director of GICA include securing endorsement of the Industrial Canal Lock, securing the authorization, funding, and construction of the Sargent Beach (Texas) Revetment to prevent erosion of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway into the Gulf of Mexico, and collaborating with Legend International Films to produce and distribute the documentary Divided Waters – The Connecting Link.

Retiring in 1995, Behrhorst still remained active in water projects. In 1997, he received the National Rivers Hall of Fame Achievement Award. He would go on to volunteer as a special advisor for the Hall of Fame and Mississippi River Museum. He was also instrumental in helping the Special Collections department at Tulane University’s Howard-Tilton Memorial Library acquire historical waterways materials. In 2004, he received the first Lifetime Membership Award from GICA. Vernon Behrhorst passed away on November 29, 2004 at age 76.