Class of 2003
Born in St. Ignace du Lac, Maskinonge, Quebec, Ben Mondor was raised in Woonsocket and graduated from Mount St. Charles Academy. He served in the Navy during World War II. He entered the business world in the late 1950s and, acquired textile mills in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. In 1973 he sold his companies and retired.
Mr. Mondor purchased the Pawtucket Red Sox, the International League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, in 1977 when the team was near bankruptcy. He has since built the PawSox into one of the most successful operations in minor league baseball.
Ben has received numerous honors from professional baseball including recognition from the commissioner of baseball, and the Baseball Writers of America. He has been named the International League’s Executive of the Year.
Rhode Island College has awarded him an honorary doctorate of public service and was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1984.
Mr. Mondor has been a trustee of the Pawtucket Boys Club, a member of the board of trustees of the Community College of Rhode Island Foundation and a member of the Rhode Island College Foundation.
He played a prominent role in the establishment of the Rhode Island Children’s Cancer Fund and has aided many other causes. Ben created the Pawtucket Red Sox Charitable Trust to help support numerous charitable groups throughout New England.
For his significant achievements in professional baseball and the business world, the American-French Genealogical Society is honored to present the 2003 AFGS Award for Special Achievement in Business to Ben Mondor and include him as a member of the AFGS French-Canadian Hall of Fame, Class of 2003.
