Philanthropist Harold Alfond, the 1995 NFF Gold Medal recipient, died Nov. 16 at the age of 93.
The founder of Dexter Shoe Company and a nationally respected businessman and humanitarian, Alfond was a long-time supporter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, attending every NFF Annual Awards Dinner since 1958.
“Harold Alfond made the world a better place, touching thousands of lives through his unmatched generosity,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “His love of football and his competitive spirit made The National Football Foundation a natural organization for his support, and we are grateful for his leadership and unwavering commitment over the past six decades. Our Annual Dinner will not be the same without him, and our thoughts are with his family.”
Born in 1914 and one of six children of Russian immigrants, Alfond grew up in Swampscott, Mass., playing high school basketball, baseball and football. Rather than attending Dartmouth on an athletic scholarship, he entered the shoe business, purchasing a vacant factory in 1940 in Norridgework, Maine. Three years later he sold the business for $1.1 million, keeping his job as company president.
In 1957, he founded the Dexter Shoe Company, turning it into a New England fixture with more than 80 log-cabin style stores and factory outlets that produced 30,000 shoes a day. In 1978, he became limited paterner in a group that purchased the Boston Red Sox. In 1993, Alfond sold Dexter to Warren Buffett for $420 million in Berkshire Hathaway stock.
During his lifetime, Alfond contributed more than $100 million to charitable causes throughout the State of Maine, including the University of Maine, the Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta, Colby College, St. Joseph's College and the Goodwill-Hinckley Homes for Boys and Girls.
In addition to attending every NFF Annual Awards Dinner since 1958, Alfond endowed one of the prestigious NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards; helped pioneer the Play It Smart program in Maine; and provided critical support for the local NFF State of Maine Chapter.
“I urge others to get behind this endowment drive. These scholar-athletes are our best leaders of the future. We need to recognize and honor academic and civic leadership,” said Alfond, at the time of his endowing an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award.
He was slated to accept an NFF Legacy Award from the NFF on Dec. 4 at the Annual Awards Dinner. The award honors an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the NFF and its mission of strengthening the game of football for future generations.
A devoted husband and father, he was pre-deceased by his wife of 62 years, Dorothy “Bibby” Alfond ,who passed away on December 31, 2005. He is survived by, his son Ted and wife Barbara, his daughter Susan, his son Bill and wife Joan, his son Peter, and 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
