LAWRENCE ‘LARRY’ K. MAHANEY

BANGOR and PALM BEACH, Fla. – Lawrence “Larry” K. Mahaney died Feb. 12, 2006, in West Palm Beach, Fla. from a massive stroke. He was born Feb. 9, 1930, in Easton, to Mona E. (Knight) and Basil V. Mahaney. At the age of eight his family moved to their hometown of Fort Fairfield. Like everyone else that grew up in “the County,” Larry wasn’t any stranger to hard work. He always credited picking potatoes at six years old, pulling mustard, shining shoes, setting bowling pins, driving truck and working construction as what helped him the most to compete later in life. Larry graduated from Fort Fairfield High School in 1947, where he was an all-around athlete earning letters in basketball, baseball and track. In 1951, he graduated from the University of Maine, where he was captain of the 1950-51 basketball team with All-State honors and was a member of Phi Eta Kappa fraternity. Larry served in the U.S. Air Force for two years during the Korean War and was stationed in Tripoli, North Africa. Upon his discharge, he returned to the University of Maine on the G. I. bill, where he received his Masters of Education in 1955 and was an assistant basketball and freshman football coach. Larry became a teacher and coach at Brewer High School from 1955-1962, coaching football and basketball. During this time, his basketball team won the Eastern Maine Championship in 1959-60, which was the first in school history. His football teams from 1956-58 had 21 wins and one loss over the first 22 games and won the state championship in 1957. He also founded the Pop Warner Youth Football League in the community. In the summer of 1962, he joined Webber Oil Company and seven years later became its third president. He guided the company through the oil crisis of the 1970’s and achieved unprecedented growth through many acquisitions. He diversified its holdings to include real estate investment and management, insurance companies, retail gasoline stations, convenience stores and repair facilities. He was honored as the Maine Oil Man of the Year in 1985 and one of the Legends of Oil Heat in New England in 2002. After 42 years, as chairman of the board and CEO of Webber Energy Fuels, he retired in 2004 and became a resident of Palm Beach, Fla. In the late 1960’s, with his partner, Tom Walsh, he founded the Erin Company. His Holiday Inn Hotel business grew to numerous hotels and included Pete & Larry’s, Killarney Restaurants, The Bounty Tavern and Holiday Health & Racquet Club, now Gold’s Gym. His Inn By the Sea Hotel in Cape Elizabeth highlights the other hotels. Larry’s civic and business activities included director of Bangor Chamber of Commerce, PVCC board of directors, March of Dimes chair, Sugarloaf Ski Foundation, founding member of the Committee of Fifty, director of Merrill Trust Company and Bank Shares, director of Maine Oil Dealers and director of the state board Chamber of Commerce. His involvement at the University of Maine included chair of the Development Council, the Black Bear Association, past president of the M Club, original member of the Second Century Fund, fund raiser and contributor to build Alfond Arena and the Performing Arts Center. In 1993, he held a fundraiser at the Holiday Inn for UMaine “Dinner of Champions” and in 1994 he held another fundraiser for the U Maine Athletic department at the Civic Center honoring Harold Alfond’s 80th birthday and raised $1.2 million. His honors and awards include the Larry K. Mahaney Clubhouse, Mahaney Diamonds at U Maine and St. Joseph’s College in Windham and a Larry K. Mahaney Gymnasium at Thomas College in Waterville. More recently, he supplied $1 million last fall, a gift from his son, Kevin, for a lighted, 38,000 square – foot Dome practice facility at UM that is now complete and bears his name. As a benefactor, he was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, the UMaine Hall and the State Sports Hall. He also received three honorary doctorates from the University of Maine, Thomas College and St. Joseph’s College. He received the Black Bear Award and was only one of two recipients to receive the prestigious Harold Alfond Philanthropic Award from the University. Larry also created the Maine Senior High School All Star Baseball game and established the Dr. John Winkin “Mr. Baseball Award” for the state of Maine. He was an avid golfer with long time memberships at Bangor Municipal, PVCC, Northeast Harbor, Bear Lakes and the Breakers at Palm Beach, Fla. His favorite golf course was at Ballybunion in Ireland. His numerous trips in golf, the laughter and good times, meeting new people and personalities and making everlasting friendships enhanced his life. He is survived by two sons, Lance David and wife, Patricia, of Palm Beach, Fla., Kevin Parker and wife, Diana; three grandsons, Christopher Lawrence, David Chandler and Nicholas Z. F. Mahaney, all of Greenwich, Conn.; a brother, Keith and wife, Karlene, of Bangor; a sister, Gayle and husband, Philip McCrea, of Huntington Beach, Calif. and Louise “Jackie” Mahaney Witham, mother of his children. Also several nieces, nephews and cousins. At 10 a.m. May 6, there will be a gathering at Mahaney Dome. A celebration of Larry’s life will be held 11-11:30 a.m. where at 11:30 a.m., there will be the dedication of the Dome. At noon, a luncheon will take place outside of the Dome. At 1 p.m., there will be a doubleheader baseball game. Those who wish to remember Larry in a special way may make gifts in his memory to local youth sports teams and any University of Maine Sports Team.