BANGOR – Don Dorr wasn’t much for the limelight, but the Bangor businessman and farmer made sure important matters, such as the sacrifices of veterans and the struggles of the agricultural industry, weren’t forgotten.

Dorr, 74, died Friday morning at a local hospital, leaving a noticeable void, friends and associates said.

A Korean War veteran who organized and promoted remembrance parades, a consummate advocate of the state’s agricultural industry, and a sympathetic businessman known for his generosity as well as his workaholic attitude, Dorr was described by Gov. John E. Baldacci as the “glue” that brings and keeps a community together.

“He’s a good role model of what it takes for a community to stick together,” said Baldacci, who remembered Dorr as an unassuming, big-hearted man who worked in the background, not center stage. Baldacci said Dorr didn’t shy away from bringing the concerns of the dairy and farming industry to his attention.

Dorr worked hard and understood hardships, something he didn’t forget when dealing with the people who came to depend and trust the Dorr family name, friends said.

The Dorr family has been selling and servicing equipment since 1958, but farming for longer than that. Tenacious, Dorr drove trucks during the day and worked at Dorr’s Equipment at night.

Dorr knew dairy farming doesn’t fit into conventional work hours.

Tom Davis, chairman of the Penobscot County Commissioners and prominent dairy farmer, said Dorr made sure he was there whenever dairy farmers needed him, regardless of the hour.

“He knew how hard it was, so he always went out of his way to help people,” Davis said. Dorr was willing to lend farming equipment when a part broke off a machine, and not just to customers.

And Davis said, in some cases, Dorr made the down payment on equipment for farmers who needed it immediately but couldn’t afford it.

Dorr’s interest in agriculture was deep-rooted and fundamental. He told friends that one of the saddest moments was when he sold his small dairy herd in 1996 after Dorr’s Equipment relocated and expanded its operation.

Dorr wanted others to share in his appreciation of agriculture. For more than a decade, he oversaw the agricultural program at the annual Bangor State Fair, each year pressing for ways to improve the show and increase attendance, said Mike Dyer, director of Bass Park.

“It’s easy to get lost in the midway and the shows,” said Dyer, acknowledging the competition for attention the agricultural fair had to contend with.

Dorr handled it with aplomb, he said, bringing in new events and attractions – a magician and a hay-wagon ride came to mind – boosting youth involvement and managing to squeeze more prize money out of Dyer.

“They aren’t making any Donnie Dorrs anymore,” Dyer said.

For years, Dorr also felt he could make a difference at a statewide level as part of the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs, but he dismissed the idea when it was suggested to him. Dyer and others filed the necessary nomination papers for Dorr, without his knowledge, and Dorr was named to the board. He was to have served as president of the organization in January 2004.

“There’s a hole in agriculture today,” Davis said, summing up sentiments about Dorr’s passing.

But Dorr’s impact wasn’t confined to agriculture. Dorr served in Korea and fought at home to keep the memory of veterans alive, serving for more than three decades as master of ceremonies and treasurer of the Memorial Day parades, like the one scheduled later this month.

Always in the forefront, but never taking center stage, Dorr sought to challenge his community to promote patriotism for young people and the world, said Galen Cole, who will be heading up the World War II contingent in the upcoming Memorial Day parade.

“Patriotism in our area has lost a true friend,” Cole said.