Bernard Georges "Ben" Mondor (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 The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

from 1977 until his death.

Biography

Mondor was born in March 1925 in Saint-Ignace-du-Lac,

Maskinongé, Quebec Maskinongé () is a municipality in the Mauricie region of the province of Quebec in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Oc ...

, 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 The Taurus Reservoir is a reservoir in Matawinie, in the administrative region of Lanaudière, Québec, Canada. It is in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin and is on the Matawin River. Toponymy The reservoir is named after a river rapi ...

on the

Matawin River Matawin (sometimes referred "Mantawa" or "Mattawin") may refer to: Canada ;Ontario *Matawin River (Ontario) The Matawin River is a river in Thunder Bay District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a right trib ...

and was annexed by the neighbouring village of Saint-Michel-des-Saints. McCoy Stadium - Ben Mondor statue

Mondor grew up in

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

, and graduated from Mount St. Charles Academy there. As of March 1943, he was employed by the Verdun Manufacturing Company there. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during World War II. Mondor was in private business from the late 1950s through his retirement in 1973; he owned textile mills in several states. In 1977, Mondor bought the

, the Triple-A affiliate of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, out of bankruptcy. He turned it into one of the model franchises in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

McCoy Stadium McCoy Stadium was a baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1970 through 2020, it served as home field of the Pawtucket Red Sox (PawSox), a Minor League Baseball farm team, affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Completed in 1942, the stadiu ...

, the team's home

ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part ba ...

, was renovated and became "one of the most fan-friendly minor league venues in the country". Attendance increased from 70,000 in 1977 to over 600,000 annually during the 2000s. He was a two-time winner of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

's executive of the year award (1978, 1999). In 1982, Mondor was awarded an honorary doctorate of public service degree from

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Rhode Island, United States, with much of the land in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, and other parts in North Providence, Rhode Island, North Providence. The college was established in 18 ...

, and was inducted to the

Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965. Mission The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame Officers The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame is managed by a president, vice president, recording ...

in 1984. He was inducted into the

Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, ...

in 2004, and given an honorary day at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

on May 30 of that year. Mondor was elected to the

International League Hall of Fame The International League Hall of Fame is an American baseball hall of fame which honors players, managers, and executives of the International League (IL). It was created by the International League Baseball Writers' Association in 1947 to honor t ...

in 2008. Mondor died in October 2010 at his home in

Warwick Neck, Rhode Island Warwick Neck is a part of the City of Warwick, Rhode Island, United States. This section of Warwick Neck was first settled in 1660s (built approximately 1896 on 75 acres), home of former U.S. Senator Nelson W. Aldrich (whose daughter Abby ...

. He was survived by his wife, Madeleine. He is interred at Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in

Exeter, Rhode Island Exeter is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Exeter extends east from the Connecticut border to the town of North Kingstown. It is bordered to the north by West Greenwich and East Greenwich, and to the south by Hopkint ...

. In January 2025, Providence College opene
The Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences
a state of the art facility.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mondor, Ben 1925 births 2010 deaths People from Mauricie Baseball people from Quebec Canadian emigrants to the United States People from Woonsocket, Rhode Island United States Navy personnel of World War II American business executives Minor league baseball executives Pawtucket Red Sox Mount Saint Charles Academy alumni