HAMPDEN – The Bangor-Brewer YMCA day camp has a new name.

Formerly known as Camp Prentiss, the 55-acre site now will be called Camp Pierce Webber after the 91-year-old philanthropist and benefactor who has helped the Y thrive over the years.

G. Pierce Webber, a resident of Bangor, has been one of the organization’s largest contributors, according to Y Director Robert Reeves.

Former YMCA Foundation president and creator of an endowment fund, Webber currently chairs the investment committee.

“He’s still sharp as a tack,” Reeves said Thursday.

The name change became official earlier that day during a celebration for friends and family at the downtown Bangor facility, Reeves said.

The 27-member board of directors voted in December to honor Webber, but kept the news under wraps as a surprise.

“We felt this was a good way to recognize his stewardship and his generosity and his desire to help kids and families,” said Reeves, pointing out that Webber also has contributed to Eastern Maine Medical Center and Husson College, both in Bangor.

The hospital named a wing after Webber, while the college has a building in his honor.

Meanwhile, a wooden sign engraved with the new name and a drawing of an oak tree and acorns already hangs out front of the camp, visible from the Emerson Mill Road.

The artwork exemplifies Webber’s philosophy of life, according to Reeves.

“You start small and plant lots of seeds that eventually grow into oak trees.”