Dick O’Connor’s Legacy

Over his nearly 45-year term on Kennebec Savings Bank’s Board of Directors, Dick O’Connor has had a profound impact on the Bank’s success—and that of many other organizations throughout the Kennebec Valley region.

His relationship with the Bank began when his father came into the Bank in the early 1970s and opened a CD with former Chairman of the Board Brooks Newbert. The funds came from the two-percent profit generated that year by the O’Connor family’s auto business.

Dick joined the board at the age of 30 in 1975, filling a vacancy left by his uncle, Jim O’Connor. At that time, the Bank had $25 million in assets and had one location with 13 employees. He would go on to become one of the longest-serving board members in the Bank’s history, and held the board chair position from 1994 to 2016.

At the time of his retirement from the Board of Directors in September 2019, the Bank had grown to $1.1 billion in assets and employed 138 employees over six locations. His leadership throughout these years is credited with supplying much of the impetus for the significant growth the Bank has experienced over his more than four decades on the Board. Kennebec Savings Bank was not the only organization in Kennebec Valley to benefit from his leadership and business savvy. As owner of O’Connor Motors for many years, the business grew to be among the top 10 Chevrolet dealers in the country. He and his wife, Joanne, have given generously in both volunteer time and charitable donations to a wide range of local causes. Cushnoc Crossing Bridge, referred to as “the Third Bridge,” connecting Augusta’s east and north ends and Route 3 to the coast, may very well have never been built were it not for Dick’s determination, leadership and tenacity.

Special thanks goes out to Dick for his incredible contribution to the Bank and the communities that it serves!

Members of the Board of Directors are pictured here in 1993. From top left to bottom right: Peter Dawson, Donald “Peanut” Rodrigue, John Shostak, Dick O’Connor, Bill Pelletier, Ray Pepin and Harry Jose.

Dick O’Connor retired from Kennebec Savings Bank’s Board of Directors in September 2019. To pay tribute to his leadership to the Bank and the Kennebec Valley region, the Bank donated $50,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley. The Bank commissioned a portrait of Dick, which now hangs alongside the portrait of his friend and mentor, Brooks Newbert, in the Tappan-Viles Mansion.

Our Community

In 2002, the Children’s Discovery Museum in Augusta marked its 10th anniversary with Kennebec Savings Bank as an ongoing supporter.

May 2005 brought abnormal amounts of rain. e saying goes “April showers bring May owers,” but it was the May showers that brought the owers to Kennebec Savings Bank customers. Knowing that people were tiring of all the rain, the Kennebec Savings Bank team surprised customers with potted geraniums, giving out thousands of the brightly colored owers to brighten everyone’s day.

Hurricane Katrina, an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane, struck the Gulf Coast in late August 2005. Just a month later, Hurricane Rita, the fourth most intense hurricane ever recorded, worsened the e ects caused by Katrina. ese natural disasters drove a spike in fuel costs, not to mention the many families and communities left devastated by the damage. Kennebec Savings Bank joined with hundreds of other businesses and communities around the world to aid in the relief e orts.

ere was also record hunger in central Maine that winter. e Bank reached out to approximately 30 food banks and food pantries to provide aid to those in need. In 2008, a young man with a big heart—Ricky Gibson—brought light to the Maranacook football eld, using his Make-a-Wish Foundation donation to make it possible. Gibson passed away in April 2009 after a seven-month battle with cancer, but his legacy lives on in our hearts and on the football eld. Each year the Bank supports the Ricky Gibson Memorial Car & Bike Show, which provides funding for low-income student athletes to play football.

Opposite: For many years following the 9/11 tragedy, Kennebec Savings Bank draped an American flag over its sign at the Main Office to honor those lost. Local student Ricky Gibson designated his Make-A-Wish Foundation donation to make upgrades to the Maranacook Community High School football field. To honor his legacy, each year the Bank supports the Ricky Gibson Memorial Car & Bike Show.

Above: Kennebec Savings Bank continues to be a major supporter of the Capital Area Recreation Association to this day.

Right: The Bank received the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence in 2003 in recognition for its commitment to the community, its employees and customer service.

Giving Back

Kennebec Savings Bank contributed more than $250,000 to approximately 400 organizations in 2002 alone. is included building on a long-standing partnership with the Capital Area Recreation Association Sports Complex to enlarge sports elds, build dugouts and batting cages, fund the rst electronic scoreboard and assist with the addition of three new soccer elds.

In 2003, the Bank received the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence, a prestigious honor presented to businesses that demonstrate a consistently high level of caring and commitment in the areas of community, employees and customer service.

at year, the Bank made its largest donation in its history at that time with a $100,000 gift to Team Cony to bene t Cony High School. e gift helped to fund a larger auditorium, gym and classrooms in the school’s new building, which opened in 2006.

e Bank continued to step up its community support in 2004, funding a record 373 projects. ese included the largest-ever donation of $500,000 to Kennebec Valley YMCA, used to build a state-of-the-art facility in Augusta, as well as $25,000 to complete a three-mile section of the Kennebec Rail Trail from Hallowell to Farmingdale.

More than 17 Kennebec Savings Bank team members also volunteered for the 20th Annual Trek Across Maine to bene t the American Lung Association of the Northeast. Nine employees rode in the three-day, 180-mile bike ride under the team name the Loan Rangers, raising approximately $9,000.

Seventy-four employees donated a record $30,000 to the United Way campaign, and the Bank matched that amount. e funds raised supported local people with local needs.

In 2005, Kennebec Savings Bank contributed $500,000 to the capital campaign to fund the construction of the MaineGeneral Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, matching the largest gift in the Bank’s history. Kennebec Savings Bank President & CEO Mark Johnston served as campaign chair, helping to raise an additional $10 million toward the cost of building this state-of-the-art cancer center located in north Augusta.

2008 saw the Loan Rangers, now in their fth year of riding in the Trek Across Maine, raise approximately $37,000, earning them a spot among the top three teams for fundraising out of a total of 148 teams and having the second largest in the number of participants.

Also in 2008, the Bank was a major sponsor of the Festival de la Bastille, held in Augusta in celebration of the area’s Franco-American community.

For many years, a large percentage of the employees at Kennebec Savings Bank participated in the American Lung Association’s Trek Across Maine.

Kennebec Savings Bank was a major contributor to the fund to construct the MaineGeneral Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in 2005.