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 ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward ...

, 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 Saint-Michel-des-Saints is a municipality in the Matawinie Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. Agriculture, forestry, recreation, and tourism have been the main activities found within this region. History In 1863, Thomas-Léandre B ...

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 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of ...

, 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 maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

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

McCoy Stadium McCoy Stadium is a former 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 affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Completed in 1942, the stadium fir ...

, 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 the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

, 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's executive of the year award (1978, 1999). 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. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004, and given an honorary day at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Bas ...

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. 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 Hopkinton ...

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