Ben Mondor | |
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| Born | Bernard Georges Mondor (1925-03-26)March 26, 1925 Saint-Ignace-du-Lac,Maskinongé, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | October 3, 2010(2010-10-03) (aged 85) |
| Resting place | Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery (Exeter, Rhode Island) |
| Occupation | Business executive in textiles |
| Known for | Owner of thePawtucket Red Sox (1977–2010) |
| Awards | |
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 thePawtucket Red Sox from 1977 until his death.
Mondor was born in March 1925 in Saint-Ignace-du-Lac,[a]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 theTaureau Reservoir on theMatawin River and was annexed by the neighbouring village ofSaint-Michel-des-Saints.[3]
Mondor grew up inWoonsocket, Rhode Island, and graduated fromMount St. Charles Academy there.[2] As of March 1943, he was employed by the Verdun Manufacturing Company there.[1] He served in theUnited 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 thePawtucket Red Sox, theTriple-A affiliate of theBoston Red Sox, out of bankruptcy.[5][6] He turned it into one of the model franchises inMinor League Baseball.[7]McCoy Stadium, the team's homeballpark, 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 theInternational League's executive of the year award (1978, 1999).[9][8]
In 1982, Mondor was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service degree fromRhode Island College, and was inducted to theRhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1984.[2] He was inducted into theBoston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004,[10] and given an honorary day atFenway Park on May 30 of that year.[11] Mondor was elected to theInternational League Hall of Fame in 2008.[12]
Mondor died in October 2010 at his home inWarwick Neck, Rhode Island.[13][14] He was survived by his wife, Madeleine.[13] He is interred at Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery inExeter, Rhode Island.[4]
In January 2025, Providence College openedThe Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences, a state of the art facility.