Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel

Alfond Youth Center to honor George Mitchell

By Amy Calder acalder@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

WATERVILLE -- All the work Waterville native George J. Mitchell has done over the years as a U.S. senator, federal judge, special U.S. envoys to both Northern Ireland and the Middle East -- and advocate for children -- will be recognized Aug. 12 at a tribute hosted by the Alfond Youth Center.

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George Mitchell

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TRIBUTE INFORMATION

Where: Alfond Youth Center
When: 5:30 p.m., Aug. 12
Cost: $50 each
Tickets: 873-0684 (ask for Ken Walsh or Felicia Farley)

Mitchell, 76, grew up in Waterville and was a member of the Waterville Boys Club, which later became the Waterville Area Boys & Girls Club, located in the Alfond Center with the YMCA.

"He's gone through the Boys Club -- he's one of our Boys Club alumni," said Ken Walsh, the center's chief executive officer. "He's an inspiration to many of our youth members. He not only inspires kids locally, but he inspires kids throughout the world, where he strives for peace. His life has been about trying to pull people together to solve issues appropriately."

Gov. John Baldacci will be the master of ceremonies, which will include a 5:30 p.m. cocktail hour and 6:30 p.m. dinner and presentation, according to Walsh. Invited guests include Maine author Stephen King and Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Seth Wescott, as well as senators and members of Congress, he said.

"We'll show a great video with President (Bill) Clinton, Cal Ripken Jr. (former Major League baseball player), Peter Lunder (philanthropist and former president of Dexter Shoe Co.) and the president of Ireland."

As part of the tribute, the Alfond Center's triple gymnasium will be named "The George J. Mitchell Auditorium," he said.

The tribute also will serve as a fundraiser for the Alfond Center, according to John Nale, a member of the center's Heritage Circle, a group that includes past board members, community leaders and ongoing supporters. Nale helped organize the Mitchell tribute.

"(Mitchell) has always been very generous with his time and support of good causes here in Maine," Nale said, "and we're very proud of him as a local person who has been able to go out and serve the state of Maine and the country as well as he has."

Mitchell's niece, Ann Mitchell, a member of the Alfond Center Board of Directors, also helped organize the tribute.

"It's wonderful for the people in his hometown to be able to see him and talk to him and to honor him with the tribute and dedication of the gymnasiums," she said. "His commitment to young people in the state of Maine is very real."

George Mitchell's nephew, Bill Mitchell, also a member of the center's Heritage Circle, said his uncle created the Mitchell Scholarship Institute in the 1990s after he retired from the U.S. Senate. It issues one scholarship to a high school senior from every public high school in the state, according to the institute's website.

"He's been successful in doing that since its creation and as a result, 1,600 scholarships have been awarded, in excess of $8 million," said Bill Mitchell, a member of the institute's board who also helped organize the Aug. 12 tribute.

Several George Mitchell Scholars, including Colby College student Jessica Boyle, will attend the tribute, with Boyle welcoming guests, Walsh said.

Tickets to the event are $50 each; businesses may purchase tables that seat eight people, Walsh said. Anyone wanting tickets should contact Walsh or Felicia Farley, administrative assistant at the Alfond Center, at 873-0684.

The event will accommodate 300 people; Walsh expects tickets will sell quickly.

"We just want to make sure people have the opportunity to purchase tickets before they're sold out," he said.

Mitchell was inducted into the Boys Club Hall of Fame in 1993 when the hall was created, Walsh said. Baldacci was inducted into the hall this year.

Mitchell is a New York resident and chairman of DLA Piper, the largest law firm in the world. He was a federal judge before being appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1980 by Maine Gov. Joseph Brennan and served 15 years, including six years as a Senate majority leader. He was chairman of the Walt Disney Co. from 2004 to 2007.

In 1996, Mitchell became a U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, and in 2009, he was named by the Obama administration as U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com