Ben Mondor

Bernard Georges "Ben" Mondor[1] (March 26, 1925 – October 3, 2010) was a Canadian-born American business executive and baseball executive, best known as the owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox from 1977 until his death.

Ben Mondor
Born
Bernard Georges Mondor

(1925-03-26)March 26, 1925
Saint-Ignace-du-Lac, Maskinongé, Quebec, Canada
DiedOctober 3, 2010(2010-10-03) (aged 85)
Warwick Neck, Rhode Island, U.S.
Resting placeRhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery (Exeter, Rhode Island)
OccupationBusiness executive in textiles
Known forOwner of the Pawtucket Red Sox (1977–2010)
Awards

Biography

Mondor was born in March 1925 in Saint-Ignace-du-Lac,[lower-alpha 1] Maskinongé, Quebec,[2] son of Rosario Mondor (1888–1962) and Marie Anne Brault (1892–1963). The village he was born in disappeared under water in 1931 due to the construction of the Taureau Reservoir on the Matawin River and was annexed by the neighbouring village of Saint-Michel-des-Saints.[3]

Statue of Mondor outside of McCoy Stadium

Mondor grew up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and graduated from Mount St. Charles Academy there.[2] As of March 1943, he was employed by the Verdun Manufacturing Company there.[1] He served in the United States Navy during World War II.[2][4] Mondor was in private business from the late 1950s through his retirement in 1973; he owned textile mills in several states.[2]

In 1977, Mondor bought the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, out of bankruptcy.[5][6] He turned it into one of the model franchises in Minor League Baseball.[7] McCoy Stadium, the team's home ballpark, was renovated and became "one of the most fan-friendly minor league venues in the country".[7] Attendance increased from 70,000 in 1977 to over 600,000 annually during the 2000s.[8] He was a two-time winner of the International League's executive of the year award (1978, 1999).[9][8]

In 1982, Mondor was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service degree from Rhode Island College, and was inducted to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1984.[2] He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004,[10] and given an honorary day at Fenway Park on May 30 of that year.[11] Mondor was elected to the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.[12]

Mondor died in October 2010 at his home in Warwick Neck, Rhode Island.[13][14] He was survived by his wife, Madeleine.[13] He is interred at Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island.[4]

Notes
  1. Written as "Lac Ignace" on Mondor's draft registration card of March 1943.[1]

References
  1. "Draft Registration Card". Selective Service System. March 1943. Retrieved November 13, 2020 – via fold3.com.
  2. "Ben Mondor". afgs.org. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  3. "Saint-Michel-des-Saints (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  4. "U.S. Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved November 13, 2020 – via fold3.com.
  5. "Rhody businessman gets Red Sox of Pawtucket". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. AP. January 25, 1977. p. 19. Retrieved November 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  6. Pave, Marvin (July 21, 1987). "Prosperity in Pawtucket". The Boston Globe. p. 69. Retrieved November 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  7. Cafardo, Nick (November 27, 2014). "Some Red Sox owners poised to purchase PawSox". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  8. "Ben Mondor Biography". MiLB.com. October 4, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  9. Edes, Gordon (September 24, 1999). "Red Sox Notebook". The Boston Globe. p. D3. Retrieved November 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  10. "Red Sox Hall of Fame". MLB.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  11. Hohler, Bob (May 27, 2004). "Red Sox Notebook". The Boston Globe. p. C6. Retrieved November 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  12. "International League Hall of Fame Members". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  13. "PawSox Owner, Ben Mondor Passes Away". MiLB.com. October 4, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  14. Abraham, Peter (October 5, 2010). "Ben Mondor, 85; owner revitalized R.I.'s Red Sox". The Boston Globe. p. B14. Retrieved November 13, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
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