Kagan, visionary in health care, dies

BANGOR – Irving Kagan, a moving force in Maine’s health care industry and the world of competitive free-style skiing, leaves a legacy of community dedication that his closest friends believe will not be matched anytime soon.

Kagan, who suffered from a heart condition, died Thursday evening. He was 76.

He served in various top echelon positions at Eastern Maine Medical Center and the Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems for many years.

Kagan also earned a national and international reputation in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and was an early and enthusiastic supporter of competitive freestyle skiing.

The son of a Jewish immigrant who left Russia in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, Kagan was weaned on business by his father, who helped forge Kagan-Lown manufacturing in Bangor and later, the Penobscot Shoe Co.

Kagan grew up in Bangor and graduated from Bangor High School in 1945. He went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated in 1948 under a wartime-accelerated program with a degree in construction engineering with an emphasis on management.

He had planned to take a job in Ohio in the fledgling modular housing industry, a choice supported by his father, Max, who had wanted him to choose a career path other than the shoe industry.

But, armed with a degree from MIT, the new graduate suddenly found himself looking at shoes from an entirely new perspective.

“I went into the factory with him and I got intrigued by the engineering of the shoe, because obviously, the shoe being built as it does to fit the human foot must withstand the stresses and strains of daily use, which posed certain engineering challenges,” Kagan said in a 2003 interview. “So I took a job with Penobscot Shoe and stayed there for 46 years, retiring as board chairman in 1999.”

An enthusiastic promoter of alpine skiing, Kagan served as vice-president of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and as U.S. representative to the International Ski Federation. He was a founding trustee of Carrabassett Valley Academy, where John Ritzo serves as headmaster.

“He was very highly respected by the board and among those associated with competitive skiing,” Ritzo said. “He was instrumental in the development of the sport of freestyle skiing and was recognized with the Julius Blegen Award, the highest level of recognition for one’s contributions to the USSA.”

Gov. John E. Baldacci said the Bangor area and the state had lost a great community leader in Kagan whose intellect, energy and benevolence was appreciated by all who knew him.

“I got to know him rather well as a congressman and was always impressed by his commitment to the community,” Baldacci said. “He was a true gentleman.”

Although he retired earlier this year as chairman of EMHS, Kagan remained active as a member of the board and attended a board-related meeting only last week.

Never one to shrink from a controversial decision, Kagan stood by EMMC’s chief operating officer Norman Ledwin three years ago as the hospital underwent some difficult administrative changes that pitted both men against members of the hospital’s medical staff.

Ledwin, who now maintains residences in Castine and Florida, recalled the man who hired him with great fondness. He said there was an almost instant connection between the two when he arrived in Bangor in 1993 to interview for the CEO post at EMMC.

“I thought he was very much of a gentleman, he was very precise and his personality fit his education and training,” Ledwin said. “He was very much of a no-nonsense kind of guy, but few people understood his warmth and compassion. He contributed to capital campaigns, but he also did special things like education for young people, education for hospital residents and those interested in medicine who did not have the financial ability to pursue a goal that they were intellectually qualified for.”

U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock met Kagan when both served respectively as vice-chairman and chairman of the EMMC board.

He remembered Kagan as a man with “the mind of an engineer and the soul of a humanitarian.” Possessing what Eaton described as “an extraordinary intellectual capacity,” Kagan could turn abstract concepts inside out, find their flaws and improve upon them.

“He had an ability to look through and see around a problem and arrive at a solution, but what was also very impressive was that he had the confidence and the discipline to make his vision come true,” Woodcock said. “He was always dedicated to using his talents for the common good – the epitome of a true community leader.”

Bangor attorney George Eaton had known Kagan for about 20 years, largely through board work involving EMHS and EMMC. Eaton said Kagan’s principles were above reproach and that he continued to play a leadership role at EMH until the time of his death.

“His integrity, enthusiasm and intellect were unsurpassed,” Eaton said. “He was simply a phenomenal person who was more in my parents’ generation than mine. Yet, I felt we had a special relationship that I enjoyed.”

Eaton’s recollection of Kagan was not unique. Those close to him agreed that if Kagan liked a person, they would know it instinctively and sense a bond had been created.

Dan Coffey, interim president and CEO of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, appreciated his friendship with Kagan, whose death leaves a major void in the medical organization.

“When you have someone like Irving who has worked tirelessly as a volunteer board leader and a board chairman for so many companies, he becomes very tough to replace,” Coffey said. “He didn’t just work hard for the organization – he loved it.”

Kagan is survived by his wife, Paula, of Orono, and four children. A funeral service will be officiated by Rabbi David Cantor at noon Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Beth Israel Synagogue, 144 York St., Bangor. The family invites relatives and friends to a reception immediately following the service at the Buchanan Alumni House on College Avenue at the University of Maine.