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VO L . X X V I N O. V I ยง 2 M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 2 0 38 I N M E M O R I A M Jim Dowe Former president and CEO / Bangor Savings Bank When Jim Dowe was honored in 2006 as Business Leader of the Year he was 54 years old, living in Bangor. He was credited with updating Bangor Savings Bank. When he took over, the bank had one ATM; by 2003, it had 42. He led the branch expansion, buying nearly 30 branches from Fleet Bank. Many were in rural areas and some in the industry were skeptical Bangor Savings could make that work. Earnings did take a hit initially, but Dowe was committed to customer service and community banking. e profile gave a nuanced look at Dowe, who grew up in Turner and graduated from the University of Maine. His first banking job was delivering cash to branch offices in his beat-up Volvo sedan. He had another side to his banking persona. He spent hours on the sideline watching his son's high school games; he also had two grown daugh- ters and two stepsons. He rode a motorcycle and collected vintage guitars. He and his wife JoAnn worked as volunteers on a wildlife preserve in Kenya. Dowe served as president of Bath Savings Institution before being hired in 1995 as CEO of Bangor Savings, where he served till 2006. He went on to run Maine Public Broadcasting, ushering it through the financial crisis after the recession, before retiring in 2012. He served as an interim director of the Good Shepherd Food Bank and was on numerous boards, according to his obituary in the Bangor Daily News. Dowe died of cancer in 2013 at age 64. Stan Bennett Former president and CEO / Oakhurst Dairy Stan Bennett became president of Oakhurst Dairy in 1983, when his father, Donald, retired. Oakhurst was the family business, having been founded by his grandfather, Stanley T. Bennett, in 1921. Stan Bennett led Oakhurst through a series of takeovers of smaller milk processors. In 2002, he drew national attention when he took on Monsanto Corp., which sued Oakhurst to demand removal of "growth hormone-free" labels from Oakhurst milk containers. His battle set a precedent for healthy dairy products in the industry, according to obituaries in the Portland Press Herald and Mainebiz. In 2009, he agreed to distribute organic milk for 10 small organic dairy farmers after they lost their buyer. His profile in Mainebiz showed Bennett's varied background and wide range of interests. He was born and raised in Portland. He graduated from Tufts University and had a law degree from Boston University School of Law. e Falmouth resident had three kids. He loved boats and spent a lot of time on Casco Bay. According to his obituary, he was active in nonprofits, including Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine, where he learned to swim as a child. Bennett died of cancer in 2011 at age 64. 2 0 0 3 B u s i n e s s L e a d e r o f t h e Ye a r 2 0 0 6 B u s i n e s s L e a d e r o f t h e Ye a r