BIDDEFORD — Five people who made lasting contributions to the City of Biddeford were honored on Saturday at the 2023 Biddeford Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center started the Biddeford Hall of Fame in 2018 as an annual program to recognize and celebrate the citizens of Biddeford who have contributed to the history, heritage and culture of the city or the world at large in a significant way or non-citizens who have had a significant impact on Biddeford.

Mayor Alan Casavant noted that the city has received major accolades recently for its food scene and downtown renaissance, and there has been major investments in the downtown and a renewal of community pride.

“I think those of us who’ve lived here all their lives recognize this place has always been special, and some people might say its because of the geographical attributes – the ocean, the river, and the parks; but it’s really the people,” he said.

Casavant, a life-long Biddeford resident who taught for 35 years in the local school system characterized many of the people he met in Biddeford as hardworking, caring individuals.

“The people are the cornerstone of what Biddeford is, and the people who have been inducted and the people that we are inducting today, are the cream of the crop,” he said. “They’re the ones who have given of their lives in some form or fashion to make this a better place in which to live and to work and to play,” he said.

Photo banners of this year’s Hall of Fame honorees will be put on light poles in the downtown, and Saturday’s ceremony will be uploaded to the BCHC’s website.

The 2023 Biddeford Hall of Fame:

 Harold Alfond, 1914-2007, was the founder of Dexter Shoe Company and with his wife Bibby established the Harold Alfond Foundation. The Harold Alfond Foundation has supported the University of New England’s growth, starting in 1995 with a grant to build the Harold Alfond Center for Health and Sciences. In 2010, the foundation gave $10 million toward the state-of-the-art Harold Alfond Forum and in 2020 the foundation announced an additional $30 million investment in the university.

 David Flood founded the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier in 1989. He was also integral in the founding of the Heart of Biddeford in 2004, working diligently to raise the $40,000 needed at the time to operate the organization. He served as its president for the first five years and continued to serve on the board of directors until he moved to Delaware to be near his children and grandchildren.

He also invested in the downtown, buying and renovating buildings. He served on numerous commissions and committees and served on the City Council for numerous terms.

 Paul Gagne, born in 1941, is a life-long resident of Biddeford. He worked at West Point Pepperell and served the city of Biddeford as a data processing manager for 30 years during the tenure of 10 different mayors.

Gagne is the treasurer of the LaKermese board, spending many hours helping to organize the annual LaKermesse Festival. He also helps to install the Christmas decorations on downtown light poles every winter. He is currently the treasurer of the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center and a sacristan at St. Joseph parish. He has served on the Parish Council and the St. Joseph PTO.

 Urbain Ledoux, 1874-1941, was born in Canada, but moved to Biddeford before his first birthday. In 1893, he began publishing a French weekly in Biddeford called L’Independance and in 1896 was appointed to the U.S. Consular Service.

After World War I, Ledoux worked with veterans to help them find housing and jobs and established a soup kitchen in New York. He also traveled to South Africa to make movies.

 Dane York, 1887-1967, moved to Biddeford in the 1930s to manage the bookstore Dearborne News Company. He became the city librarian at McArthur Library in 1937, and took on extra work for the statewide library association.

York published stories and essays for American Mercury magazine and wrote a novel called “As Much as Twice.” He also wrote a series of books about Biddeford’s history that are still used by researchers today. These books included “The Men and Times of Pepperell,” “An Account of the First 100 years of the Pepperell Manufacturing,” and “A History and Stories of Biddeford.”

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.